The Insider News

Nettuts+[^]:

Every new version of JavaScript adds some extra goodies that make programming easier. EcmaScript 5 added some much needed methods to the Array data type, and, while you can find resources which teach you how to use these methods, they typically omit a discussion on using them with anything other than a boring, custom function. The new array methods added in ES5 are usually referred to as Array Extras. They ease the process of working with arrays by providing methods to perform common operations.

Making the Complex Simple[^]:

Now don’t get me wrong. C++11 is fantastic! I am in just about 100% agreement with all of the changes that have been made. C++ has definitely become much easier to use and it has even become more powerful. There is one thing it didn’t become though—and this is the most important—more simple. It seems that many of the seasoned developers have forgotten why we stopped using C++ and moved on to Java, C# and other modern languages.

Develop in the Cloud - Tim Kellogg[^]:

As a programmer, have you ever had to work with multithreaded code? It's horrible. You might as well give up on unit testing and quality; concurrency bugs usually aren't very reproducible. Hence the old adage: "Some people see a problem and say 'I know, I'll use threads.' Now they have two problems...." We need a language where we can write code as we normally do (single threaded) and have the compiler transform it into multithreaded code automatically. Such a compiler could weigh the benefits of multithreading against the overhead of creating threads and optimize accordingly. This is the only solution to our long-term dilemma.

Dr. Bunsen[^]:

The coffers of Unix hold many simple tools, which by themselves are powerful, but when chained together facilitate complex data manipulations. Unix's use of functional composition eliminates much of the tedious boilerplate of I/0 and text parsing found in scripting languages. This design creates a simple and succinct interface for manipulating data and a foundation upon which custom tools can be built. Although languages like R and Python are invaluable for data analysis, I find Unix to be superior in many scenarios for quick and simple data cleaning, idea prototyping, and understanding data. This post is about how I use Unix for EDA.

Ars Technica[^]:

Compared to any of the popular tablets—the various iPads, the Nexus 7, Amazon's range—the Surface Pro is absurdly overpriced and its battery life is pathetic. Compared to an Ultrabook, it's not that bad: a little ahead in some ways, a little behind in others. The thing is, in spite of its pricing, the Surface Pro isn't an Ultrabook.... This makes Surface Pro an awkward sale.

DZone[^]:

Here are some technologies that have such strong "street cred", they are effectively untouchable. Anyone who dares imply that they are deficient in any way is instantly labelled an uneducated moron. It is impossible to have a realistic conversation about these technologies, and it's not very common for enthusiasts of these technologies to admit their failings.

BBC News[^]:

In a world first, on 3 December 1992, an engineer sent the message "Merry Christmas" from a PC to a mobile device using Vodafone's UK network. But the origins of the idea date back further to Matti Makkonen. Over a pizza at a telecoms conference in 1984, the former Finnish civil servant put forward the idea of a mobile phone messaging service. This was to become the SMS (short message service) standard.

The Security Practice[^]:

Many of the broad family of specifications commonly grouped under the “HTML5” umbrella are scheduled to be completed in 2013, and with the release of Internet Explorer 10, the users of every major web browser flavor can enjoy rich Web apps written on the open web platform, with no need for plugins. Lots of people are excited about HTML5, but one group I don’t see as particularly excited are security experts, or perhaps they’re only excited in a rather cynical fashion. Full employment! Browser botnets! A lifetime of conference talks!

Wired.com[^]:

Competition in automotive technology has long been about who’s got the most horsepower, the best towing capacity or the fastest acceleration. These days, though, it’s all about having the slickest infotainment systems and most-connected cars. The shift in focus from what’s under the hood to what’s behind the dashboard has brought a largely covert war to the auto industry over the operating systems that will control these gadgets. As in the smartphone biz, the battle line is between proprietary and open source software. The outcome will determine what these systems look like, how they work and how distinctive they are as automakers embrace walled gardens or open ecosystems.

dalpix.com[^]:

The original Arduino IDE is great for beginners, but it lacks a lot of features that advanced users need. And I've tried a lot of other solutions. But all were based on plugins and hacks to other IDEs, which lead to not-so-good performance. For example, a very famous plugin provided access to terminal console by adding a fixed option to the IDE Tools menu. So, if you're working with two different boards, you have to change this hard-coded option every-time....

Chris Patterson's Blog[^]:

IDisposable is a standard interface in the .NET framework that facilitates the deterministic release of unmanaged resources.... Despite IDisposable having only a single method named Dispose to implement, it is commonly implemented incorrectly. After reading this blog post it should be clear how and when to implement IDisposable, as well as how to ensure that resources are properly disposed when bad things happen (also knows as exceptions).