Calculator Auto-Update

[magicdanw]

I've got an idea for a feature in a calculator linking program (such as TILP). Special programs would have an identifier, a version number, and a url. When the linking program connects to the calculator, it sends a program that scans all other programs for the identifier, and sends back the data. The linking program would open the url, and read it to see if there's a newer version. If so, it would download the newer version to the calculator. If it's an assembly program that needs a special updater, it could send a file that patches the original program, or transfers high scores to the newer program, or whatever. If an updater is impossible, then you would just get a messagebox with a link to the download website.

Does anyone think this would be useful/useless?

[Demon]

Yeah, that would be cool. It'd be like <<insert the name of your favorite package manager>> on the calc...

[justusdude]

Or, if you were to implement something like this, you could allow for high score uploading to a website... like say... here maybe?

But seeing as how most programmers (with the exception of the awesome people on all the calc forums), program mainly dumb stuff that you could 'update' in half the time, from your own knowledge. That said, I don't think what you are suggesting could be very useful.

[Demon]

It'd be really useful for big programs like the one in my signature.

[magicdanw]

First off, I probably won't implement anything like this, since I know nothing about calculator-computer linking, and will soon be busy with school . But if someone did implement it, the point wouldn't be that it would be easier for the computer to update it than for you to update it. The point is that you won't miss updates. It will automatically update if there's one available, so you don't need to check the site.

[justusdude]

Hmm... I can see how this may work with frequently updated files (which are few and far between).

[simplethinker]

I think the program would be most useful for testers. When testing a program, it's annoying to always check and see if there is a new update, but if you don't you could spend a lot of time on something already fixed.

[Delnar_Ersike]

Here are a couple ideas that would work very, very well with this idea:

A money-exchanger:
Basically, a programs that can be used to calculate exchange rates between currencies. Sure, we all know some basic stuff, but it would be cool to see a foreign price tag, whip out your calculator, calculate the price to your resident country's currency (maybe Euro <-> US Dollar, or Canada Dollar <-> US Dollar), and compare it with the prices at home.

A weather updater:
Again, something you can do on a lot of other gadgets, but it would be a handy feature. Then again, maybe not...

A smart-optimizer:
Probably useful for unlocked BASIC programs, it would allow you to edit and optimize the BASIC program and then upload your optimized version to a central server. But this idea would be very, very hard to program.

An art studio:
Do you like pixel art? Well, there could be a program that allows you to create pictures easily on the calculator, and then upload your works of art to a website profile. This way, other people will be able to see your creations and even ask you to create sprites for them (or if you already made a spritesheet with a sprite they need, they'll just copy it, but make sure you get credit!)!

Just a couple of ideas I quickly threw out there...

[Demon]

Hmm... I like that last one...

[magicdanw]

Another idea, though it's even more far-fetched than this currently is, and it'd be 84-series only. Brandon Wilson is writing a USB WiFi driver for the calculator. When you're within range of a WiFi internet connection, you could open the program and have it automatically update.