‘Encouraging’ study examines static typing and quantifying detectable bugs in JavaScript

Are you a proponent of static typing or dynamic typing in JavaScript, or indeed another language? A new study from researchers at University College London (UCL), alongside Microsoft, put a couple of products to the test – with pretty solid results.

The researchers tested Flow, Facebook’s static type system, and TypeScript – from Microsoft, of course – and found that, at a conservative estimate, each product can spot approximately 15% of bugs which would...

26 September 2017 | Java

Skype introduces real-time code editor to help ease technical interview burdens

If you have an off-site technical interview coming up, the last thing you want to be thinking about – never mind your knowledge and the pressure of the situation anyway – is how the technology you will be using will stand up.

Skype has launched a new preview feature which aims to help technical interviews be conducted more seamlessly.

The feature enables a video call to be placed on top of a code editor, meaning interviewers and their prospective candidates do not...

31 August 2017 | Development Tools

Python slinks past C, Java and C++ to top IEEE 2017 language list

Python has topped the charts as the top programming language of 2017, according to the latest ranking from IEEE Spectrum.

The language, which continues to grow in popularity having been one of the highest risers in the most recent Stack Overflow survey, got the benchmark score of 100, with C (99.7), Java (99.5) and C++ (97.1) trailing close behind. C#, R, JavaScript, PHP, Go, and Swift completed the top 10.

No new languages appeared in the full list of 48 for the second year...

31 July 2017 | Java

Microsoft HoloJS allows JavaScript developers to build HoloLens apps

(c)iStock/KeremYucel

Many see Microsoft HoloLens as a pair of mixed reality smartglasses, but they may not be aware that the HoloLens is an underlying application development platform called Windows Holographic – an application programming interface (API) which is a part of the Windows 10 API.

Developers use the Windows Holographic platform to design augmented reality applications for the Universal Windows Platform (UWP). Microsoft has added another designing instrument...

21 December 2016 | Java

Android is driving a 12 million-strong population of mobile developers

(Image Credit: iStockPhoto/JasminSeidel) 

The number of mobile application developers has now reached over 12 million according to figures by Evans Data, and it's being driven by the Android platform.

With mobile development skills becoming more invaluable than ever the number of developers has increased five-fold since Evans Data first began recording data back in 2006. In the first report, just two million developers focused on mobile. 

Android remains...

10 October 2016 | Android

Research: Stack Overflow reveals changing developer job landscape

(Image Credit: iStockPhoto/uschools)

New research from Stack Overflow points towards a talent shortage caused not just by a shortage of developers, but also from misguided recruiters. In the global report published today, Stack Overflow included more than 56,000 responses from 173 countries. 

The biggest group represented in the research was the US, followed by the UK. Stack...

17 March 2016 | Java

Opinion: Don’t bother with native code

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There’s always been something of a philosophical discussion over the efficiency of developing native apps. The argument follows that native apps give you access to a platform’s full functionality helping you to manipulate built-in capabilities to create sophisticated applications. Conversely, there is a popular conception that web apps are a stop-gap, which may be easier to run in the browser, but lack the quality of native...

18 February 2016 | Android

Microsoft will open source its Chakra JavaScript engine

(Image Credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft has announced its decision to release its powerful 'Chakra' engine - used for JavaScript in the company's Edge browser – to the open source community. Although not the most surprising open source news in the past week, that award goes to Apple, it's a momentous step in helping to advance the engine.

With the intention to publish the ChakraCore repository to GitHub in January, it will allow developers to use and help...

7 December 2015 | Git

Oracles new API deals with Java EE security problems

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Oracle's staff are fully-aware that security in Java EE hasn't been taken as seriously as it should have, but are working to fix these problems in the new Java EE security API (JSR 375) which is a proposal for baking better security into the environment. 

Java's development environment is notorious when it comes to security problems, at least out-the-box. There are several third-party frameworks to fill the void, and it's possible...

6 November 2015 | API

Googles software build tool Bazel heads into beta

(Image Credit: Bazel)

Bazel, a tool used internally at Google to build software quickly, was made open-source back in March to advance its development. Google has now released Bazel under beta to allow engineers to build server and client software for Android and iOS whilst avoiding some of the usual issues. 

One large caveat, however, is that Bazel is only available for Linux and OS X for the time being – with a Windows version being made "a priority" and due to...

10 September 2015 | Android