News

.NET Core Version 1 Released - So What?   Wednesday 29 June

In some senses this is a momentous event - Microsoft has a Version 1 of the cross-platform open source .NET Core. But is it momentous more because of the change in approach it signals, or is there some real value in it. In short, should you rush out and install .NET Core?

Google Project Bloks Tangible Programming For Kids   Wednesday 29 June

Google Research is working on a new initiative to introduce kids to computing in ab entirely hands-on, physical way. A prototype has been produced to show how it the tangible programming approach combines the way children innately play with learning with computational thinking.

Bablyon.js A JavaScript Framework for 3D Games   Tuesday 28 June

The latest version of Babylon.js has added a 2D accelerated engine to the JavaScript framework for building 3D games. It also adds refraction textures and support for HDR (High Dynamic Range) maps for Physically Based Rendering. 

New Android Basics Nanodegree   Tuesday 28 June

Google has announced a hands-on, project-based Android Basics Nanodegree, for complete beginners, no previous coding required. Google is also offering free scholarships for the intermediate-level Android Developer Nanodegree to the first 50 students to successfully complete it.

Firecode - Ace the Coding Interview   Monday 27 June

Another code learning platform, in this case focused on preparing candidates for a job interview that involves writing code. What's different about it? Let's find out.

Eclipse Neon Released   Monday 27 June

This year's annual release train from the Eclipse Foundation has shipped. Following its alphabetic naming convention its name starts with an N. Unusually Neon isn't a reference to a celestial body. Instead it's a gas.

Introducing SpotMini - A Domestic Pet Helper   Sunday 26 June

Boston Dynamics has released a video introducing SpotMini, a smaller version of its Spot quadruped robot at large in a domestic environment. We see SpotMini loading a dishwasher, suggesting that it might be capable of being useful.

Try Codecademy Pro For Just $10   Saturday 25 June

If you sign up for a month's subscription to Codecademy Pro before June 30th you can benefit from50% off, courtesy of Atlassian which will pick up the tab for the other $10.

The Weekly Top 10: SharePoint and Other CMS Platforms   Friday 24 June

This week's round up of interesting posts from external sites has resources for Sharepoint developers and for those working with Drupal, Joomla and WordPress.

Pluralsight's Smarter Technology Learning Platform   Friday 24 June

Training provider Pluralsight has launched a new platform aimed at keeping the skills of technology professionals up to date. As a subscription service available to individuals and enterprises, it assesses the current skill levels of developers before providing them with appropriate directed learning.

Google Increases Android Bug Rewards   Thursday 23 June

Google is increasing the amount it pays as rewards for finding bugs and security vulnerabilities in Android with a new upper limit of $50,000

Half Price Computer Science On Coursera For A Limited Time   Thursday 23 June

If you sign up for a course today, look out for a nice surprise. For a limited but unspecified time Atlassian's offering to subsidize. The offer extends to all Computer Science and today's a day there's 50% off at the checkout.

ECMAScript 2016 Approved   Thursday 23 June

That's probably JavaScript 1.9 or ES7 to you. If you are puzzled by the name it is probably because you haven't realized that ECMAScript has gone over to a yearly release schedule, which might not be a good thing at all. 

The Core

Four Tips For C++ Programmers   Monday 27 June

Having checked a large number of open source projects, the team at PVS-studio has seen a large variety of ways to shoot yourself in the foot. Drawing from the C++ Hints website, Andrey Karpov has compiled a list of 42 tips, four of which are reproduced here. While intended primarily for C/C++ programmers, usually they are universal, and may be of interest for developers using other languages. 

Multicast delegates and events   Friday 24 June

Multicast delegates are useful in their own right but they also form the basis on which the C# event system is built. We take a close look at how they work and how to use them. For example, did you know you could add and subtract delegates?