Creating programs that will control my computer

[Heber]

I looking for a source (book, on line tutorial, etc.) that will
introduce me to writing programs that control my computer. For
example, a program that enters bids on eBay automatically. Or a
program that reads and operates on data from a website. Another
example: calculating and reporting the amount of time the computer
spends on a task. Where can I acquire the basic knowledge to commence
working on these types of programs?

[Adrian Parker]

Re: Creating programs that will control my computer


"Heber" <nbease@comcast .net> wrote in message
news:82963351.0 310011809.3baab f0c@posting.goo gle.com...[color=blue]
> I looking for a source (book, on line tutorial, etc.) that will
> introduce me to writing programs that control my computer. For
> example, a program that enters bids on eBay automatically. Or a
> program that reads and operates on data from a website. Another
> example: calculating and reporting the amount of time the computer
> spends on a task. Where can I acquire the basic knowledge to commence
> working on these types of programs?[/color]

I'm looking for a a novel or book that tells me how to win at every game
ever made. Let me know if you see one.


Adrian

[Rick]

Re: Creating programs that will control my computer

> I'm looking for a a novel or book that tells me how to win at every game[color=blue]
> ever made. Let me know if you see one.
>
>
> Adrian[/color]

Adrian is right, the examples you gave are totally different from each
other. There isn't a book.tutorial that handles all. There's a tool for
everything but you first need to learn what you can do with each programming
language. For the internet stuff, start learning html/javascript and maybe
visual basic. For the computer time you're on a totally different path. I
think C / assembler is what you need then. Just play around with some
programming language, after a few years you might have enough knowledge to
do a specific task like calculating cpu time.

Succes,
Rick

[Geoff Turner]

Re: Creating programs that will control my computer

"Heber" <nbease@comcast .net> wrote in message
news:82963351.0 310011809.3baab f0c@posting.goo gle.com...[color=blue]
> I looking for a source (book, on line tutorial, etc.) that will
> introduce me to writing programs that control my computer. For
> example, a program that enters bids on eBay automatically. Or a
> program that reads and operates on data from a website. Another
> example: calculating and reporting the amount of time the computer
> spends on a task. Where can I acquire the basic knowledge to commence
> working on these types of programs?[/color]

To do what you want to do, knowledge of Windoze APIs will be an advantage.
You will possibly need to about threads and processes. Once you know these,
you'll need to know how to call the API functions, that reside in DLLs, from
VB. Or write your own DLL to handle the interface, but then you need to
learn
C or C++ to write the DLL.

In short, you won't find /a/ book, but /many/ books that will tell you how
to control your PC. The problem will be in picking the right bits to get a
program to do what you want it to.
If you succeed, you could publish a book on it.......

Geoff Turner.

[Bryan]

Re: Creating programs that will control my computer


"Heber" <nbease@comcast .net> wrote in message
news:82963351.0 310011809.3baab f0c@posting.goo gle.com...
<snip> For[color=blue]
> example, a program that enters bids on eBay automatically. Or a
> program that reads and operates on data from a website. <snip>[/color]

If there was a nasty defect in this program that automatically makes bids on
eBay, how much money could you automatically spend before you looked up and
said "Darn!"