Alternative Software for Website Programming and Visual Design

November 11, 2010 by Leave a Comment

When starting out on your programming and design career, you need to get a reliable set of tools that you can use for years to come. How can you do that without spending a fortune? It’s easy — look for alternative software.

There are lots of alternative software programs available, but some of them are just so bad they make people think that free software is just a gimmick. The truth is, you just need to look for reliable sources that other programmers use. Professional software and web developers use alternative software all the time because it saves them money and some of the free software has surpassed its costly counterparts.

First off, you will want an all around program to manage everything in one place. Like Microsoft Word is to a writer, you need a basic but specialized program. You need an “Integrated Development Environment” or an IDE. Microsoft Visual Studio is the most popular choice, but it can be a little pricey for new developers. An alternative program is NetBeans. NetBeans is a full IDE, supporting application design and programming for the web, mobiles and computer software. It’s a free software download and has grown in popularity rapidly. It uses Java, PHP, C, C++, Groovy and Ruby.

Another popular IDE is Microsoft Visual Studio Express. It’s simply a lighter version of Microsoft Visual Studio without all the bells and whistles. It may not be as fancy, but it does the job. It includes Visual Basic, Visual C# and Visual C++.

Last but not least is KompoZer. KompoZer helps people with less knowledge of coding, working almost exclusively with the visual half of web design. It has a similar feel to Front Page and includes FTP, a CSS editor and even a color picker. If you just want to do design, this is the program of choice because it’s professional and easy to learn.

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Figuring out What They Really Want

October 22, 2010 by Leave a Comment
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A lot of professional programmers have come to the conclusion that the actual act of creating code that solves some of humanity’s problems (or at least makes them into something more easy to manage) is not too hard. Rather, it is a fun challenge, to be embraced and savored in the same way a body builder savors the sweet pain of sculpting his back into something scary to his competition. Unfortunately, an saddening portion of a programmer’s work is not even spent at the computer terminal, but in seemingly endless meetings with other people. As many programmers are not exactly of the people person persuasion, this can have unfortunate results. Social faux pas notwithstanding, there is one challenge which is anything but fun and enjoyable; dealing with people who have absolutely no clue what they actually want. Your mission, because you have already accepted it, is to figure out what this is in spite of what they actually tell you.

People will often get into a mode of wanting everything under the Sun to be stuffed into one program. Why they think that this is a good idea is anybody’s guess. Maybe they believe that having one program to do everything will somehow make their lives simpler, because of some bizarre business logic that is beyond the ken of programmers. Maybe they think that it will save them money to have you only design one piece of software for them, and they are just trying to cut costs wherever they can. If all else fails, offering them a discount may not be a terrible idea in the long run.

The worst problem is when you are dealing with one person who has lots of bosses. Bosses have a distinct tendency to completely disconnect with how things are done, while they simply focus on what they want accomplished. They are rather like children in this way. In some cases, it may be beneficial to you to write out how some functions deny other ones by their very nature. Seeing it written out adds credibility to it, and doesn’t come off insulting.

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The Hardest Part of Programming?

October 21, 2010 by Leave a Comment
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If you are a professional programmer, you may have your own opinions about what constitutes the hardest part of your chosen art form. Some may say that it is in the unrelenting logic and strenuous mental challenge inherent in solving the problems. Obviously, most of that mental process happens before you have even written a line of actual code (unless you prefer to work off the cuff, which a lot of programmers enjoy doing). Some would argue vehemently that the greatest challenge is making sure your syntax is solid. While this isn’t a big deal in the modern day, since everything is now automated, there are still occasions when it is easy to get tripped up. But let’s be real here; those are not the hardest parts of programming, are they? The hardest part is in getting people to open up about what they really want in what you are designing for them.

Have you ever worked for a person (or even worse, an entire committee of people) who seemed to have less and less of an idea as to what they wanted, the more you talked to them? This is the case in far too many programming situations, unfortunately. So many people in this world seem to have little to no clue as to what they really want, both in their personal lives and in their professional ones. Have you ever asked someone what they want and been given an answer which starts out with, “I certainly don’t want…” While this can be a great chance for them to vent their frustrations over something you should definitely avoid putting into the code you create, that is the only marginally helpful aspect of such a response.

A lot of times, you end up dealing with a group of people who have ten different things they want, and believe that having all of these features jammed into one program will grant a cost savings or some degree of simplicity. While this is a noble sentiment, it is somewhere between a hair pulling frustration and a fairy tale. Try telling them that.

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It’s a Pretty Little Stone

October 20, 2010 by Leave a Comment
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If you have never heard of the programming language called Ruby, you have been missing out living under that rock over the past few years. Invented to be natural without turning into something simple, Ruby has a lot of advantages over some other languages. Its interface is one of great customization. No, its interface is beyond just “great” customization. Imagine being a millionaire and being able to turn your personal mansion into anything your heart desires, because you have a construction crew ready to leap into action at your first whim. That is how customizable Ruby is, and this is perhaps the greatest reason why programmers absolutely love it.

Of course, the whole “Ruby on Rails” thing is also pretty popular, as well. This is an extension of Ruby which allows it (and by extension, you) to code online in a way that pretty much blows standard HTML out of the water. If you have been thinking about learning a new programming language that allows you to have it your way in a manner that would put that one burger joint to shame, Ruby is pretty much calling your name. Consider the possibilities, when every single item is its own object. While most programming languages do not consider primitives (such as numbers) to be important enough to have customizable qualities, Ruby lets you jack up any kind of new variables you want. And considering that you can open up Ruby like an auto mechanic can open up the chassis on his custom ride, that just sweetens the pot even further.

Ruby is even better in that it was developed in Linux primarily. Other than fighting the influence of those evil greed obsessed empires in a positive way (a definite moral plus), this means that it can pretty much be ported anywhere. And if you should happen to have a problem with how Ruby does something, you are free in every way to alter it to better fit your needs. It is a little bit like having the programming equivalent of a magic wand; you can change it all at will.

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Learning About C++ Computer Programming Language

October 20, 2010 by Leave a Comment
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The C++ computer programming language has been called the swiss pocketknife of all computer programming languages and it is found on nearly every operating system in nearly every computer. There’s a reason for it. C++ is so popular because it is an object-oriented program. To run a C++ program on your computer, you must have a C++ compiler which you can download.

A compiler takes your computer program such as C++ and transfers it into what’s called “machine code.” Machine code is basically the binary system of 0s and 1s. To write a C++ program, you must have a text editor like Notepad. To become familiar with C++ you must first be comfortable with moving data and numbers around.

Once the program is compiled into machine code it must be de-bugged, edited, and then linked together to run a program.

C++ is an all-purpose programming language. It can run applications such as Napster, Adobe systems, the Ipod user interface and more. Many video games are created using C++. C++ began as the C language and was named C with Classes and renamed C++ in 1983. C, however is not always compatible with C++.

C++ is the programming language for most professional applications. Most of the software you buy today is written in C++. Rather than enforcing a single style of coding or computer language programming, C++ allows a programmer to mix and match several different types of programming such as object-oriented programming and functional programming.

C++ was written by Bjarne Stroustrup as part of his Ph.D. dissertation where he came across problems in the original C language and set about to fix them. He chose to enhance the C program with Simula-like features. Stroustrup says that his code better supports data abstraction, supports object-oriented programming and supports generic programming. He also maintains the C++ offers stability over decades.

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How a computer reads a computer programming language

October 16, 2010 by Leave a Comment
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Some computer programming languages are compiled. At the hardware/processor level, everything is purely digital – i.e. a series of 1′s and 0′s sometimes called machine language. The further removed from machine level, generally the easier it is for humans to read and write code. For example Assembler is a low-level language that is hard to learn and write but is easily translated to machine language. C++ is language that uses a lot of understandable words and conventions but can be compiled so it will still run fast. C++ is known as “mid-level” language because it is uses both higher and level components. It is very popular and has been used to create almost all of the applications and games you have been installing on your computer or video games.

Java is similar to C++ in a lot of ways but care has been taken to make it easier to use and eliminate some tedious tasks. The idea behind Java is to make a platform-independent language – “write once, run anywhere.” With Java you could write a program on a PC and have it run without changes on a Mac or a cell phone. For this work each platform needs to be running a Java Virtual Machine (JVM). The Java code is compiled into pcode and it treats the virtual machine like a middle man and the JVM tells the machine what do do. The Java programmer doesn’t need to know about the JVM and the pcode instructions sent to it. This extra layer means Java is not as fast as a compiled C++ program, but Java applets can run within a web page.

To create a program that runs on the Web many people are relying on scripting languages like JavaScript and PHP. JavaScript allows dynamic web pages that perform tasks based on user input. JavaScript is embedded in the HTML scripting in a web page. If you view the source of a web page you can see the code sitting there. Sometimes people turn JavaScript off in their browser which can break some web pages.

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What Is A Computer Programming Language?

October 14, 2010 by Leave a Comment
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Across the ages archeologists have dug up ancient scripts, scrolls, papyruses and engraved markings on stones and have been stumped by the language until a Rosetta-like stone appears, paving the way to understanding. Some languages are dead languages, some we can translate but we have no idea of how that language is spoken. Computer programming language is not a linguistic language, one that crosses human communication barriers, but is one that simply delivers a line of commands to a machine that will promptly obey it. To do this, a computer programming language is an algorithm, an artificial language, a computation and a delivery of form and meaning that has a written specification.

Each and every operation done by a computer, from the moment it is switched on, is run by a specific program which is written in a specific language. A language can be written to check the RAM of a computer, another can be written to run the software while another is used to run a virus scan.

Computer programmers use several different languages for different functions. Some use them for hardware functions, some for database networking, some for software programming and others are written for simple programs that are designed to be run just once to complete a very specific task.

All computer programming language have syntax. Syntax is the sequence of text such as words, numbers or other symbols that are used to form the semantics of the language. In other words, that line of symbols forms a meaning. A computer programming language must contain logic, just as any linguistic language must in order for a computer to properly understand the command.

There are thousands of computer programming language available for programmers to use, however the trend has been towards consolidation of these languages and a few basic languages have risen to the top as the most popular and often used. C++, Java, Ruby, SQL and others are among the rising stars. These programming languages often took thousands of man hours to create.

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Has Computer Programming Language Gone Mainstream?

October 12, 2010 by Leave a Comment
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Computer programming language is no longer geek speak to the rest of us. With the advent of the Internet, simple programming languages such as HTML and XML are now accessible to the every day user who’d like to build their own website. More and more people are shunning the trained computer programmer with his pricey cost tag and turning to the bookshelves and online do-it-yourself training programs to learn Frontpage and DreamWeaver.

But has computer programming language really gone mainstream? Newer computers, faster applications and the speed of technology makes it difficult for your average Joe to keep up. Although the job outlook for computer programmers is lower than usual, we have to remind ourselves that we are no longer in the ’90′s boom. Job growth is still steady in this sector and beginning salaries are still high which means that the computer programmer is still in demand.

And while the computer programmer may not be in demand for simple script operations for web applications such as HTML and XML, good programmers for other computer programming language such as C++, Java, SQL and Ruby are still in high demand. Programmers who are fluent in multiple computer programming language are especially dear to employers and programmers who are smart enough to learn several languages rather than specializing in just one will quickly find a job.

One factor limiting the job growth in this sector is the outsourcing of programming to computer programmers in other countries such as India. Many computer programmers find that they can count on steady freelance work rather than a job within a company. This requires the programmer to have other business skills such as marketing, accounting and networking in order to run his or her own computer programming language company or consultation firm.

Still, computer programming language has become a skill that is being taught in many charter schools and within many pre-high school camps. Soon, there will be a generation of students who are familiar with current computer programming language and will be using it as part of their mainstream lives.

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R Programming Language Offers Easy Statistical Analysis

September 26, 2010 by Leave a Comment
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A unique Open Source programming language known simply as “R” is becoming increasingly popular based on its ease of use and ability to analyze massive data sets. The GNU-based computer programming language is similar in some ways to S Statistical Programming language, but with key elements making it particularly helpful in crunching large sets of numbers.

R programming language was developed by two programmers at the University of Aukland in the early 1990′s, and has become a favorite tool for statistical analysis on a large scale. Currently, over two million users are taking advantage of R, particularly scientists, programmers and academics who routinely do research.

Speed is one of the biggest draws for R programming language, which can process up to 12 gigabytes of data in seconds. Among the useful applications in R are linear and nonlinear modeling, time series analysis, classifications, clustering, and classic statistical tests. It can run on UNIX, MacOS, and Windows. Its popularity is in part due to ability to produce top quality plots using various mathematical symbols, a boon to anyone seeking to publish results.

Although two million users is a relatively small number on the global scale, there are several indications that this Open Source programming language is going to move on to bigger and better things. Power hitters like Oracle and IBM are now offering limited support for R programming language, and a few small businesses have actually invested in offering software based on R.

Recently, the business intelligence sector began taking notice of the many benefits of R programming language, which is particularly adaptive to predictive analytics. It can be to identify patterns or trends in massive data sets, making it ideal for research into retail, financial, and medical trends. Wal-Mart is a high profile user of R, using it to interpret the needs and spending habits of customers. With so much interest, it seems clear that R programming language will continue to grow in popularity.

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Which Computer Programming Language Is Most Popular?

September 26, 2010 by Leave a Comment
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There are as many ways to determine and rank the most popular computer programming languages as there are languages, and the debate rages on. Most programmers have a particular favorite they prefer to write code, and each one has a take on why their programming language of choice should be the one used. That being said, each of the most popular languages has its advantages of disadvantages.

One of the most popular ranking services is provided by Tiobe. They monitor programming languages and offer an updated ranking system each month. Their rankings are popular because they’re based on combination of factors that are comprehensive and accurate. Most programmers will concede that their system is fair because it’s based on several crucial elements, including how many new applications are written in the language, existing applications, how many developers prefer the language and how many developers primarily use the programming language, how often web searches are based on a particular programming language, and how many jobs are posted that require skills in that language. This blend of criteria takes into account past, present, and future programming language trends in order to offer an accurate gauge of popularity.

So which computer programming languages are the most popular? It fluctuates from month to month, but according to most rankings, the top five are usually C, Java, C++, PHP, and Visual Basic. Also ranking quite high are Perl and Python and relative newcomer Objective-C.

Keep in mind that being the most popular computer programming language doesn’t mean the language is superior to others or is the best for your programming needs. You should choose a programming language that is suited to your application and can be properly supported. The top ranked computer programming languages have made the cut at least in part because they are adaptive, easy to use, and produce the desired results for clients. Of course, if you’re looking to add a new computer programming language to your skills set, the top ranked ones are a pretty good bet, giving you new, marketable skills.

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