Google and Microsoft beefing up HTML5 bet for browsers:

Some might say it has been a long time coming – but recent pronouncements from Google and Microsoft have shown a clear indication towards bolstering HTML5 on their browser experiences.

Writing on the official Chrome blog earlier this month, Google announced that version 53 of its Chrome browser will automatically block certain elements of Flash – such as loading behind the scenes for analytics – in favour of HTML5. The move represents a step up from June last year where some Flash content became click-to-play.

“Flash helped make the Web a rich, dynamic experience, and shaped the modern set of web standards,” wrote Anthony LaForge, Chrome curator of Flash in a blog post. “We continue to work closely with Adobe to ensure that your web experience is as fast and secure as possible and to help the Web transition to HTML5.”

Elsewhere, industry commentators have noticed how a recent Windows 10 build had improved the HTML5 capabilities of its Microsoft Edge browser. According to gHacks, the new features in Edge has pushed it up to 500 out of 555 points in terms of HTML5 compatibility through the HTML5Test product. In comparison, Google Chrome Canary scores 504 while the current stable version of Edge scores 466.

So where does this leave us? Writing for this publication back in January, app development house Mubaloo argued that while HTML5 was more than ready to replace Flash in terms of web development, it was more complicated for apps.

“HTML5 is the future of websites, as it is the language that is best suited for the changing landscape, to support smartphones, tablets and desktops,” the company wrote. “It is also the language that is the best base for creating web apps that can run on desktop or mobile devices. This suits apps that are lighter, in terms of functionality, or require less access to hardware or OS level services, than apps that work best natively.

“For the web, HTML5 isn’t just ready for the big time. It is the big time.”

The Top Three Programming Languages for Electronics Tinkering :

If you’re planning on tinkering around with electronics, whether it’s on a Raspberry Pi, Arduino, or anything else, you’ll need to know at least a little bit of programming. Hackster.io sent out a survey to figure out which three languages people thought were the best to learn.

The survey was filled out by over 3,000 people from around the world. Theyoverwhelmingly point to C and C++ as the language to learn if you’re into electronics tinkering. Behind C is Python, which is followed closely by Javascript, Java, and C#.

As for the hardware itself, Arduino led the pack, with the Raspberry Pi and Particle following behind. Obviously which language you learn and which platform you use is dependent on the project itself, but if you’re not sure where exactly to start, C and C++ seem like a good place. Head over to Hackerster.io for the full results of their survey..

Google and Udacity Team Up to Teach the Basics of Android App Development :

A few months ago, Google and Udacity released their first “nanodegree” course for intermediate Android development, today, they’re going backwards to teach you the absolute basics..

7 New Programming Languages To Learn in 2016:

Programmers have always known that new programming languages need to be learned to keep their skills marketable in the workplace. That trend is not only continuing – it seems to be increasing due to the rate of change taking place in the technology sector.  

Programming languages like C, C++, Java, HTML, Python, or PHP have always had answers to the demands of the market. However, progression in the innovation sector requires people to gain even more skills and knowledge to bring ideas to life.

Even though programming languages like Java, HTML, Objective C, remain the backbone of any development in IT, there have been some new and interesting programming languages that have gained impressive reviews and high ratings among the tech gurus across the world. So, we decided to assemble a list of the new programming languages to learn and keep watch of in 2016.

1. Google Go

Google’s Go Programming Language was created in 2009 by three Google employees, Robert Griesemer, Rob Pike, and Ken Thompson. The language’s success can be seen clearly by the fact that BBC, SoundCloud, Facebook and UK Government’s official website are some of the notable users of Go. It is faster, easier to learn and does the same job that C++ or Java has been doing for us. As the creators said, “Go is an attempt to combine the ease of programming of an interpreted, dynamically typed language with the efficiency and safety of a statically typed, compiled language.

2. Swift

When a programming language is launched at the Apple’s WWDC, you can be sure that it has something that can deliver success and results. Swift was released in the Apple’s WWDC in 2014 and its exponential growth in just one year shows how capable and promising this language is. According to Apple, Swift brings the best of Python and Ruby together and adds modern programming fundamentals, to make it more effective and fun. If you’ve been using or were planning on learning Objective C to develop iOS apps, don’t bother learning it. Swift is the language you need to know moving forward. There will soon come a day when Objective C is used by nobody to develop apps.

3. Hack

Just like Swift, Hack is another programming language which has recently been launched and is a product of another tech giant, Facebook. In the past one year, Facebook has transformed almost their entire PHP codebase to Hack, and if a website with millions of users and unparalleled traffic  can rely on Hack, then the programming language must surely be here to stay.

4. Rust

The Rust Programming Language was launched in 2014 by Mozilla. It did not receive the immediate success that Hack and Go did, but in the last 6 months the number of Rust users in the world has escalated and it is expected to climb much higher. An upgrade to C and C++, Rust is becoming more beloved by programmers every day.

5. Julia

Delivering Hadoop style parallelism, Julia’s stock in the tech industry is rising. The Julia Language is highlighted as one that is destined to make a major impact in the future. Described as a high level, high performance, dynamic programming language for technical computing, Julia is making a niche of its own in the world of programming languages.

6. Scala

The Scala Programming Language has been on the market for a little longer than most of the other languages in this list and was probably a little slow to get off the blocks as compared to the other langua7 New Programming Languages To Learn in 2016

ges. However; this functional and highly scalable programming languages has gradually attracted attention and companies such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Intel are using the language in their system now.

7. Dart

Given that Google Go has garnered such unprecedented success, the other language from Google – Google Dart – has been in its shadows for the past 7-8 months. However, now that app development is gaining pace, people are realising how useful Dart can be in implementing high performance architecture and performing modern app development. Unveiled as a substitute for Javascript for browser apps, Dart is finally realising its true potential and is expected to continue its rise in the coming years.

What other languages are worth keeping an eye out for in the year ahead? Drop a line in the comments section!