Sound Ideas offers
a wide range of
custom programming services from creating small utilities (XML parsers) and making modifications to our existing products,
to creating entirely new products like this
FineLine PC AlarmKey

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What does this product do?

It is a custom-created product that provides a single company-wide Windows hotkey for displaying help messages on specified PCs, informing them that immediate assistance is needed by the user pressing the "panic key". 


This product is an excellent example of the depth of our custom programming service since it provides a complete and professional Windows / UNIX turnkey solution at a fraction of the cost of comparable "boxed" products.

If you are in need of software that either you can't find or that is unusually expensive for the functionality you require, simply contact us to discuss your requirements.



Who needs a program like this?

Organizations that deal with the public are always exposed to the threat of a client becoming alarmingly angry and possibly violent.  This program provides a way for the employee dealing with this threatening situation to discreetly and immediately call for help from other employees.


What is unique about this application?

This seemingly simple application includes a number of unique programming challenges, like setting a system-wide hotkey on Windows that works regardless of what application is running and is defined in a single location, guaranteeing that the help message is always the top window so it is seen by the recipients, immediately activating the message on specified PCs without getting "stuck" because a recipient PC is not available, etc.  Sound Ideas resolved all of these issues (and many more!) and had the finished product in the customer's hands, complete with polished installation programs, in only 3 weeks!


What does the help message look like?

Note that since this is a custom program, the following window can be modified to suit any desired look.

What is the hardware configuration requirement?

This software requires a UNIX or Linux server for licensing, configuration and processing. All recipient PCs must have static IP addresses on the local network.


What UNIX platforms are supported?

  • SCO OpenServer 5 / 6
  • SCO UnixWare 7
  • Linux
  • IBM AIX


How is this product licensed?

This product is licensed by the number of PCs to send or receive the help message (25 minimum).  Note that any of the available license increments can be combined to increase the PC capacity.


What is the pricing for this product?

+ 5 PCs  (25 min)
$300
+ 10 PCs  (25 min)
$540

25 PCs
$1,200
50 PCs
$2,100
100 PCs
$3,750
250 PCs
$8,250
500 PCs
$14,250


NOTE: All prices are subject to change without notice.