5 replies to this topic

[Rafi]

I know nothing about programming, but I have an idea for a program that I really want to make. Knowing nothing of the capabilities of programming languages, I am attracted to Java because I want to have the option of writing it for almost any platform.

That being said, this is what my program needs: Access to integrated/usb webcams (for instance a laptop webcam), and the ability to know what applications a user is running/runs. Can java do this? If not, what language must I learn?

[Nathandelane]

I believe that Java can do this, although I have never done it. Java has been made to integrate well with all of the subsystems of every major OS, including Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, Linux, Solaris, UNIX, BSD, and so on. Java does have treatments for USB-hot-pluggable devices. Whether it actually treats them as such I don't know, and it probably doesn't matter. I would look around just to get an idea of what webcam projects are being done with Java, and maybe start there. Check out Java.net.

Nathandelane

[farrell2k]

David Fischer's Java Programming Examples: Capture Video from Logitech QuickCam Pro 3000 USB Camera with JMF uses the java media framework, but you may be better off with c#.

[Chinmoy]

For desktop applications, C# is a thousand times better than Java anytime.

[Rafi]

Thanks farrell2k, that project looks promising.

If I read correctly though, C# is strictly for windows. I might just settle for C# if it ends up being just that much easier. But if I wanted to do it on a mac later, I would have to start from scratch in java or something else, right?

[WingedPanther]

C# is a great language if you don't care about cross-platform. You can get some programs to work under Mono, but it gets messy from there. Java starts out cross-platform from the beginning.