Updating old application

[docg]

Some years ago I wrote a program designed to make reading text files easier, and also more fun. It enables the user to read one line at a time or even one word at a time, with options to control the speed at which each line, or word, is displayed. You can also control the width of the display, and also skim the text based on a set of search words or phrases.

The most innovative feature is that second one, the word by word display, which would, I think, make it particularly useful for reading relatively short text messages on a device with a small screen. It takes some getting used to, but unless you're reading an academic or scientific paper that requires a lot of study, reading word by word is actually quite straightforward, and also fun. Working regularly with this feature can also help speed up your reading time, which is why I decided to rename it "Speed Reader" (formerly, "First Reader").

An especially useful feature is the skim feature, which makes it possible to go through a very long text, finding only passages that contain what most interests you, sort of like a dynamic index.

Problem is, it was written in a now obsolete language, Microsoft QuickBasic. The exe file, amazingly enough, actually still works on my Vista system, so anyone interested in checking it out can probably do so on their current PC (assuming they have a PC and not a Mac). But the source code is accessible only via QuickBasic, which is probably no longer compatible with Windows-based machines. (My copy is on a 5 1/4 inch disc, so I can no longer access it.)

So. I have a couple questions: first, does this sound like something that would make a useful and marketable app for Android, iPhone, iPad, or any comparable device? In other words, would it be worth my while to take the trouble necessary to update it so it would run on current equipment, or is something similar already out there? or is it simply a lame idea with no real market potential?

Second, if it does sound like something worth pursuing, then I could use some advice on finding developers who might be interested in working with me on such a project. I could help with deciphering the QB source, but I'd need someone capable of translating that into currently applicable code. If anyone's curious, I'll be happy to send them the exe file, so they can try it out for themselves.

I hope I've posted this in the right place, if not I apologize. Thank you.

 

[electricpete]

For phone, it doesn't make much sense to me...why not just read and scroll every few seconds as normal. That might work well on a smart watch with tiny screen where you might be scrolling almost continually

 

[docg]

I think there would be a real advantage because so many phone displays are so small, which means that normal scrolling could get hard on the eyes over time. Reading one line at a time would enable expansion of text size to make it more readable, and if you're reading one word at a time, the text could be even larger.

Also the skim feature enables you to enter multiple search targets, not just one, so it's more powerful than current search engines, and let's you quickly find any and all sentences containing the words or phrases that interest you. So if you are, say, reading an article on the history of rock music, you can enter the names of all the bands that interest you and skip over everything else.

It wouldn't be for everybody, but I think serious readers, and also people interested in improving their reading speed would find it useful.

 

[electricpete]

I'll be the first to admit, it's hard to look forward and imagine what might be useful that doens't already exist.

I do think there's an advantage if it's a general tool that can take text from any source (perhaps a webpage... on the fly from webbrowser) and present it in a standard/preferred format, which would include the user's preferred level of zoom, perhaps a standard search tool, standard scrolling tools either the type we're used to or your automatic type.

I just read a webpage with around 15 lines tall on my 4.5" diagonal screen in portrait mode. I did notice that I tend to manually scroll "down" (push the page up) either almost continuously so I'm starting every new line at practically the same height 2 or 3 lines below the top.... or else scroll once after three or four lines which is generally a sentence. Regardless, I'm only using at most the top third of my screen. It does suggest I'm not using my entire screen area effectively which maybe argues for your approach. On the other hand, there is a place-keeping aspect ... I want to use the scroll to help me focus on a given line/sentence at my own pace. I don't think I'd want to relinquish that control personally.

Out of the box is good. There may be a lot more benefits I can't imagine simply because I haven't seen them first hand.

 

[docg]

Sorry, but my description may have been misleading. My software would let you scroll at your own pace, just as you do now. In fact it lets you do everything you normally do now. But it gives you the option of displaying only one line at a time, which in my experience is a lot easier to read because you don't need to waste time moving your eyes from the rightmost to the leftmost region of the display and looking for the beginning of the next line. It also gives you the option of narrowing the width of each line. In my experience the shorter the line, the easier it is to read, and also grasp, meaningwise.

And line by line reading isn't automated, you scan it at your own pace. The only aspect that's automatic is the word by word display, and the speed of that can be controlled.