News

Microsoft Hololens Development Edition   Wednesday 07 October

Microsoft has announced the price of $3000 for the HoloLens Development Edition and is inviting devs in the US and Canada to apply for the chance to be able to purchase the first units.

Twitter Switches Off JSON API - No More Tweet Counts   Wednesday 07 October

Hiding behind a redesign of its sharing buttons, Twitter is finally closing its original API that made it possible to find out for free how many times something has been shared. You can still get the data, but you will probably have to pay. 

Continuum - Microsoft's Killer Phone Feature?   Wednesday 07 October

Microsoft has just unveiled new hardware, but what might be more important is the first look at its Continuum system that allows a phone to be used as a PC. Some are claiming that this is a game changer.

Tiobe Tweaks Algorithm To Eliminate Spikes   Tuesday 06 October

Several languages saw jumps or dips in September's Tiobe index due to the use of an improved algorithm to remove statistical noise. In October Objective-C dropped out of the top 10 and Ruby rose to replace it.

Oracle Proposes OpenJDK Mobile Java   Tuesday 06 October

Oracle has proposed a new OpenJDK project that will port OpenJDK for Android, iOS and Windows Mobile.

Fear And Loathing In the App Store 11 - Apple Punishes IFixit   Tuesday 06 October

The closed world of the app store gives the company that controls it great power and with it comes a great temptation to use it as a weapon. Apple have welded the app store weapon very efficiently and banned iFixit's app, even though there is nothing wrong with the app itself. 

Office 2016 For Developers   Monday 05 October

The latest version of Microsoft Office was recently released with not much to cheer about for developers. The only change is the revamping and strengthening of the Office.js APIs so they’re more consistent across the different versions for Windows, Mac and mobile devices.

UK Launches Games Portal To Discover Cyber Security Talent   Monday 05 October

The government-sponsored UK Cyber Security Challenge has unveiled Cyphinx, a gaming project which uses a Minecraft world to test cyber skills.

AR Brings New Dimension To Coloring   Sunday 04 October

Coloring in is something that children take delight in. The fact that it helps to develop co-ordination skills and various cognitive skills also means it's an activity that parents and teachers have always encouraged. Combining it with augmented reality now brings a new lease of life to coloring, courtesy of Disney Research.

Windows 10 Raspberry Pi Starter Kit   Saturday 03 October

Windows 10 on the Pi? Now it is even easier because you can buy all you need in one easy-to-use pack. Is it worth it?

Facebook's Redex Makes Android More Efficient   Friday 02 October

Or does it? Facebook developers have just described a project that aims to optimize Java byte code. The post is impressive. but it gives the impression that it is breaking new ground - it isn't.

Google Launches Cloud Dataproc   Friday 02 October

Google has launched a beta version of Google Cloud Dataproc, a service which will provide an alternative way to manage Hadoop and Spark more quickly and easily.

Android Studio 1.4 Goes Vector   Thursday 01 October

Decimal point upgrades are generally not game changing, but there is a new feature in Android Studio 1.4 - vector assets. What's this all about? 

OpenOffice Calls For More Volunteers   Thursday 01 October

A new version of Apache OpenOffice is in its final stages of preparation and the project has requested help for tasks associated with its release.

Microsoft Rushes To Embrace The Future - Async In Edge   Thursday 01 October

Just as you struggle to get to grips with Promises in ECMAScript 2015, Microsoft has rushed ahead to provide async support in the Chakra engine and Edge. 

Professional Programmer

Ever Increasing Need For Secure Programming   Monday 05 October

As the scale and extent of cyber crime grows so does the need for developers who are trained and accredited in secure programming. We look at some of the options for gaining certification.

eBooks

Simple and Compound Interest - Time Is Money   Thursday 01 October

In the second chapter of Janet Swift's e-book on using a spreadsheet to take care of your personal and business finances and we explore the idea of borrowing money for a specified rate of interest or earning interest on an investment.