News

Are Developer Bootcamps Dying Out?   Wednesday 16 August

The announcement of the impending closure of Dev Bootcamp, and news that The Iron Yard had already stopped accepting new registrations  has led to some speculation about the demise of coding bootcamps in general. The statistics tell a very different story.

New Proof That P≠NP   Wednesday 16 August

Proofs that P=NP, and even for the less exciting and more likely P≠NP, abound. Most of them by enthusiasts who, usually, can be commended for their enthusiasm, but not so much for their proofs. However, the latest proof is by a respected complexity theorist and can't be dismissed in the usual way.

Oracle Database Programming Interface for C   Tuesday 15 August

Oracle's Database Programming Interface for C (ODPI-C) is now available on GitHub. ODPI-C is an open source library of C code that simplifies access to Oracle Database for applications written in C or C++. It sits on top of OCI (Oracle Call Interface) and provides an alternative way to make use of OCI features for Oracle Database drivers and user applications.

Android's Dex Compiler Gets Better   Tuesday 15 August

Android did a remarkable about face, the sort that would have made headlines for other project, but they managed to carry it off without anyone really noticing. Basically after planning to build its own compiler Google went back to the old Dex technology and now it is busy improving it. The latest Dex D8 is in the recent Android Studio 3.0 beta. 

RStudio Improves Connections   Monday 14 August

The next version of RStudio has entered preview, with improvements including a terminal tab, and more flexible API.

Microsoft Develops Tool To Repair Code   Monday 14 August

Researchers from Microsoft, Peking University, and University of Electronic Science and Technology of China have developd a system that will automatically repair defects in software systems without human intervention.

Storm Over For Teapot Error Code   Sunday 13 August

When it was proposed that Error Code 418 I'm a Teapot be removed from Golang, Node and ASP.NET, a campaign to save it was quickly launched - and almost instantly successful. 

Can You Craft A HTML5 Game In 13Kb?   Sunday 13 August

The 2017 edition of a long running contest kicks off today. The challenge is to write a HTML5 game in JavaScript whose code and assets can be zipped into a package with a 13Kb limit.

OpenAI Bot Triumphant Playing Dota 2   Saturday 12 August

The latest game in which AI has beaten a top human player is Dota 2, a battle arena video game published by Valve, as a sequel to Defense of the Ancients. OpenAI's self-trained bot made a surprise appearance at this year's International Dota 2 tournament held in Seattle and had a decisive victory.

Andrew Ng on Advances In Deep Learning   Friday 11 August

A new specialization starting next week on Coursera is special because it comes from Andrew Ng. In Deep Learning, which is intended to allow participants to break into AI, he sets out to explore the current frontier of artificial intelligence.

Bing Maps Adds GeoXML   Friday 11 August

There's an updated version of Bing Maps Web Control, and the Bing Maps TypeScript definitions have also been updated.  The new versions add custom map styles and a GeoXML module.

DeepLoco Learns Not Only To Walk But To Kick A Ball   Thursday 10 August

Learning to walk is hierarchical. or so DeepLoco seems to suggest. No this is not deep learning madness, but deep learning walking - and it looks good.

.NET Core 2 To Launch At DEVintersection Europe   Thursday 10 August

The Microsoft .NET Core 2 launch event will be hosted at DEVintersection Europe in Stockholm, Sweden 18-19 September. If you book your place in the next few days there's an Early Bird offer.

The Core

Android Programming In Kotlin: Getting Started With Android Studio   Monday 14 August

Android represents a big potential market. It is also the most open of the "big" phone and tablet platforms. You can write a program for an Android and let your friends have a copy, keep it to yourself or put it on sale in an app store. While Java has until now been the programming language for Android, now there is the choice of Kotlin which is, in fact, an easier and better option.

Babbage's Bag

Quick Median   Friday 11 August

You have probably heard of Quicksort but what about Quick Median? This is another of the many partitioning algorithms that work in clever ways to do things faster. Quick Median is a useful and  instructive algorithm and it was invented by C.A.R. Hoare who also invented the Qucksort.