Hello fellow programmers,

I have two big semester projects in where I am free to do anything I want, I don't want to do a game since I don't like developing games but I'm looking into making security software, useful widgets, networking, or basically any useful programs that a user might need. It can be an intermediate-advanced level project, I will be programming using Visual Studio 2008 with C++/C#. I'm not looking for a complete idea and for anyone to give me a full project but just some ideas I can build on or that can spark other ideas because I have nothing in mind right now.

How about a compiler.

How do you know?

still waiting for that project idea generator...

I was thinking about doing a compiler but that seems to be quiet a difficult project after doing some research. The actual idea was to make a compiler that wouldn't allow cheating for computer science classes, for example no copy/pasting and that each file would come with a signature attached to a certain person, making it harder for students to copy each other's work.
I might consider it, but it would seem to be a PHD-level project.

That sounds like a great idea, then I wouldn't have students coming up to me either for project ideas. I'm sorry if my post came out as if I had done no research and was looking for other people to do work for me, but that was not the point. I have actually done research on my own strengths for a project such as advanced AI pathfinding algorithms (although many projects similar to that one have already been done and that field already has much advanced progress), encryption software, and various math programs(probability and statistics mainly).
I do admit that my question was a bit broad and now that I reconsider I should have showed more of my research.

I'll start working on the project idea generator though