“Nim in Action,” a book about the Nim programming language, is now available. The book introduces the Nim programming language, teaching programmers how to write native software applications and libraries, Web applications, embedded device software, and programs that communicate over the Internet. It explains hands-on examples of how to write test, debug, document and package … continue reading
The computer science industry has lost another pioneer. This time, it was a man who had a vision of artificial intelligence, something that is currently impacting the advancement of technology and software. Marvin Minsky, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, died on Sunday night in Boston at the age of 88, according to … continue reading
It seems like neural networks are taking over. We see their code open-sourced, they power our self-driving vehicles, we use them as programming assistants, and we’ve even let them rate our selfies. Now, deep neural networks have analyzed 50,000 fonts, just because. The man behind this crazy font fun is Erik Bernhardsson, a CTO at … continue reading
“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble, it is what you know for sure just ain’t so,” said Mark Twain. Actually, some dude named Josh Billings said it, but continuing to attribute it to Mark Twain is nicely ironic. When it comes to programming, our assumptions give us blind spots. I … continue reading
Minecraft is billed as being for exploring and building, but Microsoft wants kids exploring places in the real world, like the Pyramids of Giza or ancient temples. This is why Microsoft announced Minecraft: Education Edition, which is a new version that is customized for schools. The new title will be available as a free trial … continue reading
This week, JetBrains announced a new project that has been in the works for a while. Called Project Rider, it’s a cross-platform C# IDE, based on the IntelliJ Platform and using ReSharper technology. The IDE includes functionality that will be familiar to those that have used ReSharper and IntelliJ-based IDEs, like Quick Fixes, Inspections, and … continue reading
NVIDIA is looking to power self-driving cars with an artificial intelligence supercomputer. The NVIDIA DRIVE PX 2 utilizes deep learning and situational awareness to tackle complexities inherent in autonomous driving. It features a surround view solution, a deep neural network pipeline, and sensor fusion. “Drivers deal with an infinitely complex world,” said Jen-Hsun Huang, cofounder … continue reading
Intel Corp. made a $16.7 billion purchase on Monday, acquiring Altera Corp., which is known for microprocessors used in computers. The acquisition is part of Intel’s plan to expand the chipmaker’s business. The acquisition will add a new class of products for Intel in the data center and Internet of Things (IoT) market. Altera is … continue reading
Perl 6’s 15-year history is actually more than just the history of a programming language. The process has paralleled the development of the Rakudo virtual machine, an all-purpose engine for running interpreted languages, known as the Moar virtual machine. Over the Christmas break, the Rakudo Perl 6 was released. While Rakudo Perl 6 is not … continue reading
Kids can build their own computer this holiday. Kano, a computer and coding kit for children ages 6 and up, released the new Kano Screen Kit in time for the holidays. Kids can use the kit to build a computer with plug-and-play pieces, make music, create games, code with Minecraft, and they can also learn … continue reading
After a recent celebration of the 10th anniversary of Rails 1.0, Ruby on Rails announced the first beta release of Rails 5.0 on Friday. Rails 5.0 has a new framework for handling WebSockets, called Action Cable. It’s an integrated solution that includes an EventMachine-powered connection loop, a thread-backed channels layer for server-side processing, and a … continue reading
The creator of Wolfram Alpha, Stephen Wolfram, is making a version of his “knowledge-based programming” open source. The Wolfram Language, which is a question/answer technology that computes answers from its storehouse of knowledge, is available as a free cloud service so that it can be accessible to more people like students and children, according to … continue reading