application development - News, Features, and Slideshows

News

• Oracle moving to merge JRockit, HotSpot JVMs

  Oracle is moving forward with plans to merge its two Java virtual machines (JVMs) and to provide a single microkernel for its open source GlassFish and commercial WebLogic application servers.

• Microsoft's Silverlight damage control intensifies

  More Microsoft executives are chiming in this week about the company's commitment to the Silverlight rich Internet application platform, after comments from another executive had raised questions about Silverlight's future.

• Prominent software designer promotes '21st century' techniques

  DSLs (Domain Specific languages), continuous integration, and event sourcing were stressed as key aids for software builders Friday by a dignitary in the agile development space.

• Microsoft releases F# under open source license

  Microsoft has released into full open source the code of its functional programming language, called F#.

• Drupal 7 nears release candidate stage

  Drupal 7, the next major version of the popular open source content management system, could reach a release candidate stage as early as this week, the founder of the system said on Wednesday.

• Cloud computing underwhelms PHP developers

  While technology vendors continue to pound home the message of cloud computing, PHP developers Tuesday viewed the concept as overhyped and were not in agreement on its benefits.

• Zend looks to optimize PHP for mobile devices and the cloud

  PHP development tools maker Zend Technologies will make mobile access to applications a critical part of its product strategy on Tuesday, along with emphasizing cloud computing.

• Microsoft, SAP sued by inventor over coding method

  Microsoft, SAP and Bamboo Solutions are being sued by a Virginia company that claims some of the companies' software products infringe on its patented, "novel technique for associating the modules of a multi-module computer program."

• Microsoft hails async programming for Visual Basic, C#

  Microsoft is fitting its Visual Basic and C# languages with an asynchronous programming model to help developers accommodate the growing complexity in applications.

• Microsoft pitches cloud, phone apps to developers

  Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer led Microsoft executives Thursday in promoting the company's Windows Azure cloud and Windows Phone 7 mobile platforms as key destinations for application developers.

• Beta watch: EmailOracle, FriendShuffle, Storify

  EmailOracle: Inbox Spy

• 7 programming languages on the rise

  In the world of enterprise programming, the mainstream is broad and deep. Code is written predominantly in one of a few major languages. For some shops, this means Java; for others, it's C# or PHP. Sometimes, enterprise coders will dabble in C++ or another common language used for high-performance tasks such as game programming, all of which turn around and speak SQL to the database.

• Adobe AIR breathes life into RIM PlayBook app development

  Adobe has released version 2.5 of its Air runtime environment, which will be used to develop applications for Research In Motion's (RIM) upcoming tablet PlayBook, Adobe and RIM said on Monday at the MAX conference in Los Angeles.

• HTML5 makes maths easy

  The W3C has updated its MathML standard for rendering mathematical notation on Web pages to better portray basic math symbols, as well as render mathematic symbols in more languages.

• VMware angles Spring as premier Java development tool

  Oracle may own the Java trademark, but VMware is touting its own Spring framework as the best programming model for enterprise Java developers.