Need ideas for new "killer app"

[James Richard Tyrer]

Fred van Zwieten wrote:
> Hi all,
> 
> I want to develop a new app for KDE, because I really want to support the KDE 
> initiative and i like to program for it. Problem is I don't know what. So 
> far, what seems to be missing (according to apps.kde.org) is:

First idea:

What I have found missing is a way to handle fonts and GhostScript over a 
network without the overhead of embedding the fonts.  Worst case is that 
you have font in your home directory tree and you want to send a PS file to 
the print server without the font embedded and have it print.

Despite what many think, this is doable since FontConfig on the severe can 
be programed to know (to find them) where all fonts on the network are located.

When the PS file is sent to the print sever, it needs to have something 
indicating the 'user' and computer where it came from.  Then FontConfig 
should be able to find the font.  They you can either cache it on the print 
server or use it directly if GhostScript will support that.

If you do this with a comment in the PS file, you should be able to do this 
with a KDE frontend for GhostScript.  Maybe you can do it without that -- 
I'm not a network expert.

Alternatively, you can write something to do this the correct way.  With 
ALL fonts on the server.  This might be part of the KDE Font Installer 
because when a user installs a font, it should go in his directory on the 
server.

Some have suggested selective embedding.  This is also needed BUT this is a 
QT issue.

Second idea:

This is more than any one person can do. :-)

A document generation application to replace the office suite with an 
integrated set of components that ARE NOT separate applications.  I can 
provide a detailed idea to anyone which is interested but first you need to 
get outside the box.

This IS a killer application but it might be ahead of its time.  There was 
something in this general direction for the BeOS but I don't know what 
happened to it (GoBe Productive).

http://www.gobe.com/downloads/gobe_linux_x86_install.tgz

If you have used the WordPerfect spread sheet functions you can get some 
idea of how this might work.

--
JRT

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