10 Programming Languages You Should Learn in 2014

The tech sector is booming. If you've used a smartphone or logged on to a computer at least once in the last few years, you've probably noticed this.

As a result, coding skills are in high demand, with programming jobs paying significantly more than the average position. Even beyond the tech world, an understanding of at least one programming language makes an impressive addition to any resumé.

1. Java

What it is: Java is a class-based, object-oriented programming language developed by Sun Microsystems in the 1990s. It's one of the most in-demand programming languages, a standard for enterprise software, web-based content, games and mobile apps, as well as the Android operating system. Java is designed to work across multiple software platforms, meaning a program written on Mac OS X, for example, could also run on Windows.

2. C Language

What it is: A general-purpose, imperative programming language developed in the early '70s, C is the oldest and most widely used language, providing the building blocks for other popular languages, such as C#, Java, JavaScript and Python. C is mostly used for implementing operating systems and embedded applications.

Because it provides the foundation for many other languages, it is advisable to learn C (and C++) before moving on to others.

 3. C++

What it is: C++ is an intermediate-level language with object-oriented programming features, originally designed to enhance the C language. C++ powers major software like Firefox, Winamp and Adobe programs. It's used to develop systems software, application software, high-performance server and client applications and video games.

4. C#

What it is: Pronounced "C-sharp," C# is a multi-paradigm language developed by Microsoft as part of its .NET initiative. Combining principles from C and C++, C# is a general-purpose language used to develop software for Microsoft and Windows platforms.

5. Objective-C

What it is: Objective-C is a general-purpose, object-oriented programming language used by the Apple operating system. It powers Apple's OS X and iOS, as well as its APIs, and can be used to create iPhone apps, which has generated a huge demand for this once-outmoded programming language.

6. PHP

What it is: PHP (Hypertext Processor) is a free, server-side scripting language designed for dynamic websites and app development. It can be directly embedded into an HTMLsource document rather than an external file, which has made it a popular programming language for web developers. PHP powers more than 200 million websites, including Wordpress, Digg and Facebook.

7. Python

What it is: Python is a high-level, server-side scripting language for websites and mobile apps. It's considered a fairly easy language for beginners due to its readability and compact syntax, meaning developers can use fewer lines of code to express a concept than they would in other languages. It powers the web apps for Instagram, Pinterest and Rdio through its associated web framework, Django, and is used by Google, Yahoo! And NASA.

8. Ruby

What it is: A dynamic, object-oriented scripting language for developing websites and mobile apps, Ruby was designed to be simple and easy to write. It powers the Ruby on Rails (or Rails) framework, which is used on Scribd, GitHub, Groupon and Shopify. Like Python, Ruby is considered a fairly user-friendly language for beginners.

9. JavaScript

What it is: JavaScript is a client and server-side scripting language developed by Netscape that derives much of its syntax from C. It can be used across multiple web browsers and is considered essential for developing interactive or animated web functions. It is also used in game development and writing desktop applications. JavaScript interpreters are embedded in Google's Chrome extensions, Apple's Safari extensions, Adobe Acrobat and Reader, and Adobe's Creative Suite.

Skype to Achieves Video calls with 3D Holographic Avatars this year

The growth in video communication has been exponential. Skype now boasts 300 million users, and a 2012 Ipsos/Reuters poll revealed one in five people worldwide now frequently “telecommuted” to work. But Star Trek fans will be happy to hear that incoming technology will add a further dimension to international conference calls. Known as holographic telepresence, it involves transmitting a three-dimensional moving image of you at each destination – allowing you to converse as if you were in the room. One system from Musion, based in Britain, uses Pepper’s Ghost, an effect popular with illusionists, to beam moving images onto sloped glass. Musion has already digitally resurrected rapper Tupac Shakur at a music festival. But full 3D holographic communication is not far behind – in the shape of the Polish company Leia. Named after the Star Wars princess, its Leia Display XL uses laser projectors to beam images onto a cloud of water vapour. The result is a walk-in holographic room, in which 3D objects can be viewed and manipulated from every angle. An IBM survey of 3,000 researchers recently named holographic video calls as one technology they expected to see in place in the next year or so.

SD Cards Are Tiny, Hackable Computers

An SD card isn't just a dumb chunk of memory; it's a dumb chunk of memory with a built-in brain, a microcontroller. And at this year's Chaos Computer Congress, enterprising hackers showed off exactly what those brains can be used for : cheap hardware for makers or malware machines for malcontents.

The reason SD cards have microcontrollers in the first place is because it's cheaper than producing reliable memory. Instead of testing each card to make sure it's a flawless bit of hardware (it neveris), SD card manufacturers just slap on a cheap microcontroller that can come up with workarounds for dead sectors and other hardware issues on the fly. This all gets set up at the factory, and average users never have to know a thing about it.

But that's where the modification comes in. As hackers bunnie and xobs discovered, some of cards' chip firmware isn't locked down particularly well, leaving it completely open to modification. On the good side, that means relatively cheap microcontrollers for anyone who bothers to hack them. On the dark side, that means SD cards that can perform their own man-in-the-middle attacks and steal data on the sly with built-in malware. Or counterfeit SD cards that look like they're waaaay bigger than they are, like the mythical never-ending hard drive.

Amazon RDS Supports PostgreSQL!

Amazon cloud based services have officially announced that they will be upgrading their support to include PostGreSQL in their list of supported database architecture. This will provide users with the flexibility of cloud services while working with systems that utilize PostgreSQL. Such increased flexibility enables users to easily create, manage, scale and optimize their PostGre setups.

Looking back at the traditional process involved, PostGreSQL database creation and management used to be a complex and cumbersome process that involved a lot of effort and technical know-how. Amazon aims to simplify this process by utilizing its SaaS, PaaS and IaaS capabilities. With a powerful and efficient management console provided by Amazon, users will now be able to easily create and manage PostGre instances. The console provides autoconfigured instances with prefilled parameters that help users to set up instances with just a few mouse clicks.

The main advantage of Amazon RDS is that the user will be able to use all the tools and services that are currently available with database engines. PostGre has become the leading trend in web and mobile application development and this drift will increase with support from Amazon.

The current integration from Amazon includes a few key functional and feature specifications which makes it truly user friendly and efficient. Specifications are explained below:

* Amazon RDS provides the option to select preconfigured parameters and settings. This allows quick creation, deployment and management of PostGreSQL instances.

* Analytics feature has been optimized to allow real time monitoring and tracking of usage statistics and information.

* Another amazing feature is the automated status/activity update. This feature updates the user by sending an SMS or email notification to the registered email address/mobile number.

* Version control and patch management are handled by the system. This process is automated and allows the system to patch the database and maintain proper versioning.

*  Amazon has optimized speed and performance figures. This has been done by modifying the IOPS range and provisioning it to more than 25,000 PostGreSQL.

*  Scaling of database is a piece of cake in Amazon RDS. As always, easy scalability is an advantage of PostGreSQL instances in Amazon.

*  Apart from this, Amazon also provides enhanced security and backup/restoration mechanisms.

Main Features:

Location-based services – Amazon supports location-based geolocation services with PostGre. This is termed as PostGIS service and extends the relational schema to a geospatial data architecture.

Multiple language support – The support for multiple code level languages has been included. There are three language extensions to support Perl, pgSQL and Tcl.

Enhanced search – Amazon ensures a perfected search mechanism that allows users to perform text-based searches.

JSON support – The system supports JSON communication for data manipulation and Hstore function.

Apart from these, the system includes all core features of PostGreSQL database.

Apple’s iBeacon

When Apple very recently launched iOS 7 and followed this up with another set of phones, many speculated an NFC-enabled iPhone and/or iPad. However, not only did they make the decision to keep away from NFC, they also opted to go with another technology that they believe can become a potential game changer, and it is called iBeacon.

What is iBeacon?

iBeacon is a novel technology that enables mobile apps to detect when an iPhone is near a small wireless sensor called a beacon.  “Beacons” are  small wireless sensors that makes use of  Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to  transmit data to an iPhone and vice versa.

BLE Technology

iBeacon makes use of Bluetooth low energy (also known  as Bluetooth Smart) which is a wireless computer network technology for transmitting data and is characterized by reduced power consumption and lower cost. It consumes minuscule amounts of energy and so, there is minimal battery impact of the device. Estimote Inc, a supplementer of beacons, boasts of one which can run for up to two years on a single coin battery. Imagine that!!

How does it work?

Imagine you are walking by a store that has a beacon installed, with an iPhone in your hand. This “beacon” can be thought of a context-aware miniature sensor which is capable of spotting your location. If your iPhone has an app associated with the store installed on it, once you are within the beacon’s range, it can transmit specific data (including advertisements, promotions) to your iPhone through this app.

Further, this could enable payments at the point of sale (POS) so that you don’t need to remove your wallet or card to make a payment. With this feature, iBeacon could become a possible NFC competitor.

Pros:

·         Compatibility – Most recent phones are compatible with BLE (including iPhone).

·         Range –  iBeacons range is up to 50 meters which is significantly higher compared to NFC.

·         Low power consumption – The most attractive feature so far is that, even with constant use, there is minimal battery impact

·         Works indoors (unlike GPS)

Cons:

·         Expensive – iBeacons are slightly more expensive than NFC chips.

·         Security is a concern.

Compatible devices

The following set of hardware are considered iBeacon compatible:

·         iOS devices with Bluetooth 4.0 (iPhone 4S and later, iPad 3 and later, iPod touch 5, iPad mini and later)

·         Android devices with Bluetooth 4.0 and Android 4.3 and later (Samsung Galaxy S3/S4, Samsung Galaxy Note II/III, HTC One, Nexus 7 2013 edition, Nexus 4, Nexus 5,HTC Butterfly, Droid DNA)

·         Macintosh computers equipped with OS X 10.9 (Mavericks) and Bluetooth 4.0 using the MacBeacon application from Radius Networks

The claim that iBeacon could be a potential NFC killer is supported by the fact that it is already being adopted worldwide by different e-commerce business giants . PayPal, one of the  e-commerce business giants is already working on this to enable payments wirelessly. On December 6, 2013, Apple made a huge statement by deploying iBeacons across its 254 US retail stores. Although iBeacon technology primarily points out to Apple’s dislike towards data-sharing capabilities of near field communication (NFC) technology, is a great product idea and could revolutionize contact-less payment systems in the near future.

7 Google Products in 2013

Google celebrated its 15th anniversary this year !!!

1.Google Glass

In 2013, for the first time, the mantle of innovation was passed from Apple to Google. This was largely possible because of Google Glass, the first optically-driven wearable computer aimed at general consumers.

Glass isn't set to hit the mass market until 2014, but the company began disseminating units to an unspecified number of "explorers" early this year. That led to a wave of publicity, then a backlash and now, as the year comes to a close, continued uncertainty about the viability of the category.

Google Glass's primary issue is a chicken-and-egg problem: Since so few people own a pair, they are not yet socially acceptable. A major part of the Glass experience is receiving weird looks from others. Google could work out some of those kinks; a partnership with fashionable eyewear brand Warby Parker, for example, would likely yield some less geeky designs. Even if Glass is a colossal flop, though, the product has succeeded it making Apple look comparatively timid with its lineup of mildly tweaked phones (think: the iPhone 5C and 5S) and tablets and rumored iWatch.

2.Android Takes 81% of the Market

Though many consumers continue to equate the smartphone with the iPhone,four-fifths of all smartphones actually sport Android. That means that the smartphone market is shaping up to look a lot like the PC segment, with Google playing the role of Microsoft. Butwhile Windows is a cash cow for Microsoft, Google doesn't actually make any money from Android.Instead, Android is designed to sell advertising. With such a large chunk of the market, Google has brilliantly transitioned from the desktop era to the mobile age.

Of course, that's not how Apple sees it. In a September interview with Bloomberg Businessweek, Apple CEO Tim Cook cited stats showing that despite Android's market-share dominance, 55% of mobile traffic comes from iOS devices. Cook also indirectly dubbed many of Android-based devices as "junk." Again, this is a moot point when your intention is to sell ads.

3.Google Buys Waze for $1.1 Billion

The world earned new respect for Google Maps in 2012 after Apple's disastrous introduction of Maps. But the mapping category keeps evolving. Waze, an Israeli company, was ahead of the curve with incorporating real-time information, like traffic, into maps. Many realized Waze was one of very few companies to offer such data along with its own credible mapping infrastructure, which set off a bidding war that reportedly included Apple and Facebook. In the end, Google and, as a result, maintained its reputation as the Internet's premiere cartographer.

4.Moto X Launches

In August, Google announced the Moto X, the first smartphone designed together by Google and its Motorola unit. (This was also the first major release to follow the company's $12 billion purchase of Motorola.) Though the Moto X received positive reviews, it lacked any strong differentiator. Even its Touchless Control, which brings your phone to life by uttering "OK Google now," appeared in a new line of Verizon Droid smartphones the week before the Moto X was unveiled.

In other words, this wasn't seen as a breakthrough — a tough challenge with so many other Android manufacturers. Moto, which was seen as a hedge against patent trolls, has not yet seamlessly integrated into the company and appears to be just one of many partners, albeit one that Google owns.

5.The Introduction of Chromecast

In August, Google announced the Moto X, the first smartphone designed together by Google and its Motorola unit. (This was also the first major release to follow the company's $12 billion purchase of Motorola.) Though the Moto X received positive reviews, it lacked any strong differentiator. Even its Touchless Control, which brings your phone to life by uttering "OK Google now," appeared in a new line of Verizon Droid smartphones the week before the Moto X was unveiled.

In other words, this wasn't seen as a breakthrough — a tough challenge with so many other Android manufacturers. Moto, which was seen as a hedge against patent trolls, has not yet seamlessly integrated into the company and appears to be just one of many partners, albeit one that Google owns.

6.Google Stock Hits $1,000

In October, Google stock entered the four-figure range, joining an elite club including Priceline, Seaboard and Berkshire Hathaway. Such psychological barriers are often meaningless — a looming stock split will send it back to three digit territory soon — but it underscored the company's stellar financial performance this year.

7.Google Play Passes 50 Billion App Downloads

This summer, just as Apple announced 50 billion downloads on the App Store, Google was also crowing about the same number of downloads. Google Play launched as Android Market just a few months after the App Store in 2008. However, for much of the ensuing period, Google Play was seen as an also-ran next to the App Store. This is partially because developers generally release iOS versions of their apps ahead of their Android iterations — in fact, often months ahead.

That may be changing. With more than 80% of the global market, justifying an iOS-first strategy is increasingly difficult. If Android does get the edge in new development, it will be harder for consumers to defend their devotion to iOS as well.

Next Generation USB Connector

As mobile devices get increasingly slimmer, so too will their corresponding USB connectors. Even better, you won't have to flip the cable when you try to slip it in upside down. Finally Development for the next-generation USB connector, called the Type-C, is underway and will be thinner and sleeker than current USB 3.0 cables (pictured above), according to the USB 3.1 Promoter Group, which is made up of industry heavy hitters including Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard and Intel.

To pack the powerful punch of the USB 3.1 standard, which can move data at 10 gigabits per second, into a smaller cable, it will closely resemble the USB 2.0 Micro-B. But it has a few advantages over existing models: Specifically, it's reversible, meaning users no longer need to worry about plug orientation. 

The plug design is similar to the Apple's Lightning cables and will take away one of USB's main frustrations. The downside is that the new cables won't work with existing connectors.

The Type-C connector is built on existing USB 3.1 and USB 2.0 technologies and will have scalable power capabilities, meaning it will be able to charge a wide range of gadgets.

“While USB technology is well established as the favored choice for connecting and powering devices, we recognize the need to develop a new connector to meet evolving design trends in terms of size and usability,” said Brad Saunders, USB 3.0 Promoter Group Chairman, in a statement. “The new Type-C connector will fit well with the market’s direction and affords an opportunity to lay a foundation for future versions of USB.”

Google to Launch the New Nexus 10

There have been precious few details on Google’s second-generation Nexus 10, but new reports are now suggesting that the 10-inch tablet could go on sale as early as next week.

A product page for the device was temporarily listed on the Google Play store earlier this week and the page indicated that the tablet would go on sale on November 21. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Google has since deleted the page from its website.

The story was first spotted by Ubergizmo, although the tech website has since removed its article on the issue.

Little is known about the second-gen Nexus 10 at this time -- although a recent leak claimed that the device comes with the same 2560 x 1600 resolution display, a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 CPU and 3GB of RAM. It is also expected to launch with Android 4.4 Kit Kat, the latest iteration of Android which is now available for most other Nexus tablets).

Data Deduplication – A Perfect Tool for Database Management

Efficient management and storage of data is usually a problem that most organizations face these days. There are various methods and technologies which are in place to solve this issue. The amount of space available for storage must be used efficiently so as to store maximum data in minimum space. Data Deduplication is a method which looks for repetition or redundancy in sequences of bytes over a large collection of data. The first uniquely stored version of a data sequence is referenced at further points than be stored again. Data deduplication is also known as intelligent compression or single-instance storage method.

File Level Deduplication

In its most common form, deduplication is done at the file level. It means that no file which is identical is stored again and this is done by filtering the incoming data and processing it so as to avoid repeated storage of the same file unnecessarily. This level of deduplication is known as single-instance storage (SIS) method. Another level of deduplication occurs at block level, where blocks of data that are similar in two non identical files, are identified and only one copy of the block is stored. This method frees up more space than the former, as it analyzes and compares data at a deeper level.

Target Level Deduplication

The second type of implementation is at the target level which is the backup system.The deployment is easier compared to the first source type. There are two types of implementation – inline or post process. In inline implementation the deduplication is done before the data is written or stored to the backup disk.This requires less storage which is an advantage but more time as the backup process can be completed only after the deduplication filtering is done. In the case of post process data the storage space requirement is higher but deployment happens much faster. These methods are chosen depending on the system, the amount of data to be handled, the storage space available for the system as well as back up, the processor capacity and the time constraints.

The greatest advantage is less storage requirements which improves bandwidth efficiency. As primary data storage have become inexpensive over the years, organizations tend to maintain backup data of a project for a longer period so that new employees can reuse certain data for future projects. These data storehouses need to have cooling process with proper maintenance and hence consumes a lot of electric power. The amount of disk or tapes which the organization needs to buy and maintain for data storage also reduces, thus reducing  the total cost for storage. Deduplication can reduce the bandwidth requirements for backup and in some cases it can also boost both backup and recovery process.

Android KitKat on the Nexus 5

Google launched its latest sweet-themed Androidoperating system just in time for Halloween: KitKat.

Right now, it's only available on the Nexus 5, which just went on sale in the Google Play store. Other Nexus device users will get it sometime in November, while other Android owners will get it whenever their carrier decides to upgrade them.

Google holds out the hope that KitKat is the one Android version that will rule them all; it has been designed for the slowest of smartphones as well as speed machines like the Nexus 5. So for all those users still struggling on Android 2.3 Gingerbread (that would be roughly a third of all Android users), the KitKat upgrade is a huge deal.

The interface is full of incremental improvements. Scrolling is faster; fonts look sharper. Emoji icons have been added to the keyboard. There are no more widgets to worry about. A translucent search bar sits at the top of each of your pages of apps. Fire up a game or open an e-book, and the UI goes away altogether.

Google Web Designer : A New Invention from Google

Google has recently released an interesting tool called Google Web Designer, that can be used both by professional web designers as well as newbies. Available in beta, this application solves some of the most important problems of the web like compatibility on different devices. More than anything, Google Web Designer is a complete application that can be used to design a program that is up to date with market trends, user-friendly and easy to use.

About Google Web Designer

What exactly is Google Web Designer? This is a free executable program that can be downloaded from a website and permits working with form styles to HTML5 and interactive graphics which can be used on any type of device. Even if the user does not have the ability to create a complete website, this tool can be used to create interactive Google Ads rather than have us use Adobe Dreamweaver. We will have to download this program to prove this point.

The main strength that we have in Google Web Designer is compatibility. In fact, the items that we develop with this program may look good, irrespective of screen size or device it is used in. The idea is that we can develop items like HTML, CSS, JavaScript and XML that are universal and help people see the work regardless of the device or equipment they use to access a particular function. In short, the goal of Google Web Designer is to eliminate compatibility problems.

In addition, Google Web Designer encompasses a functionality similar to one we find in Adobe Dreamweaver. It allows the user to work strictly on the design, and also gives a provision to work directly with the code to create the mandatory modifications. It is essential to note that with Google Web Designer it is possible to work with the code, and not use any additional software for this job. As for the visual editor, it searches Google and removes the need to work with HTML5 and CSS3, thus making people focused on creating a visual experience.

Google Web Designer is provided with lots of functionalities. Thus, users can find two completely different modes of animation, one quick mode which helps to build animations scene by scene and an advanced mode which provides several 3D capabilities. The user can create 3D content through CSS3. Similar to Dreamweaver, it has different display panels for example, you can choose to see the code or design or can have a combination of both in the same window.

Wearable Gadgets from Samsung!

Samsung takes the biggest leap into wearable gadgets this September. Indeed every technogeek has been waiting for it. The industry has already taken a shift towards wearable technologies with the announcements made by Samsung’s major competitor – Apple Inc.

Google Glass is the first commercially available wearable gadget that was released by the market leader, a few months back. Though it enjoyed a spectacular release with a lot of hype, the product did not catch up with expectations. Perhaps expectations were just too high. Google Glass has been labelled premature by evaluators and the public who were lucky enough to use it. This was primarily because limited “real-life” testing was carried out on the device. The gadget failed to perform in multiple scenarios and users found it embarrassing having to chant the command “Glass” each time they wanted to access a piece of information.

The concerns mentioned above drew a route map for Samsung’s journey towards wearable devices. Although Samsung team had less promotions compared to Google, they have worked hard to understand the requirements and mindsets of users.

The product release happened in a place that resembled a mix of a cathedral and a circus tent, in Berlin, Germany.

Samsung has tried to focus on the usability aspect rather than putting in extra effort to make it ornamental. The device has been named as “Samsung Gear”. It comes in the form of a wrist watch with a cute 320 x 320 1.64 inch Super AMOLED display. This screen is mounted on a wrist strap, making it a portable/wearable Galaxy smartphone.

All similar devices in the market concentrate on three main aspects:

·         Portability

·         Size

·         Battery backup

Samsung has put in sincere efforts to come up with the best possible solutions by optimizing the battery and the processor, ensuring a seamless usability experience to its users. However, Samsung Gear is yet to travel many miles before it can ensure complete satisfaction to overambitious users. Sources say that Samsung has been investing a lot on research and development around this domain and has a clear vision for all future releases and activities. This is a silent assurance for all who expect wonderful new products from the company. In the long run we can expect the term “Mobile” to be replaced by “Wearable” as more and more devices  transform themselves into wearable gadgets.

Samsung is now going through a “market study” phase. The release of these devices initially would evaluate the level of acceptance from users. The Samsung team will be able to customize them for the next release, based on reviews and feedback they gather. The same strategy was adopted even during the release of Galaxy series smartphones.

Smart watches and wearables leave a good margin of hope as they introduce functionalities that involve health and vital statistics measurement sensors. Such features in future wearables will offer a much healthier and happier life. This future is not far away.