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Featured Articles

Python is an object-oriented language, but you can get away with igoring this fact. However, if you do you are missing out on some of its best features. Find out about Python with class. This extract is from my book that explores the features that make Python special and "Something Completely Different".

The HTML default layout rules can be a mystery. They are usually introduced to users late on and as part of achieving something complicated and this tends to obscure the principles. So if you want to get to grips with floated, non-floated blocks, clipping and clear then read on.

Programming News and Views

Some very interesting research has just been published that throws a lot of light on the crazy belief that undefined behavior is useful, essential even, to certain types of optimization rather than the huge mistake it really is.

Akka has announced new deployment options for its Akka platform, as well as new solutions to tackle the issues with deploying large-scale agentic AI systems for mission-critical applications.

OpenAI has provided a treasure trove of information for spreading knowledge about AI to the general public; understanding what AI is and learning how to leverage it by using tools like ChatGPT.

Azul has announced JVM Inventory, a new feature of Azul Intelligence Cloud aimed at making it easier to migrate away from Oracle Java.

Amazon has improved the CLI agent within the Amazon Q command line interface (CLI) to provide a faster more interactive coding experience. Amazon Q Developer can now use the information in its CLI environment to provide help on reading and writing files locally, querying AWS resources write code, or automatically debugging issues.

Google has shared the agenda for its annual developer conference. This year Google will live stream two days of sessions, starting with the Keynote at 10:00 AM PT on May 20th, followed by the Developer Keynote at 1:30 PM PT.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that the Travelling Saleman Problem (TSP) is impossible to solve for even reasonably small examples using today's computers. Do we need powerful hardware or a quantum computer?

The Harvard RoboBee can now make better landings thanks to new legs based on those of a crane-fly.  The researchers who developed the robot say it now no longer needs to crash land, and can instead glide down under control.

For a few years now, front-end developers have been nibbling with AI to help them streamline repetitive tasks and boost productivity. However, AI is now evolving into more than just an assistance tool, and is slowly starting to take on advanced development tasks.

By using the expressiveness of the SQL language, TailPipe makes querying log files as easy as doing "select * from logs;".

All JetBrains AI tools, including the coding agent Junie and its  improved AI Assistant are now available within its IDEs under a single subscription and come with a free tier.

Books of the Week

If you do make any Amazon purchases via our site, we may earn a few cents through the Amazon Associates program which is a small source of revenue that helps us to continue posting.

Full Review

Author: Charles P. Pfleeger, Shari Lawrence Pfleeger and Lizzie Coles-Kemp
Publisher: Addison-Wesley
Pages: 1040
ISBN: 978-0137891214
Print: 0137891210
Kindle: B00S88TJV2
Audience: General
Rating: 4
Reviewer: Kay Ewbank

This is an updated version of a classic text on security in computing. It would be a good read for a student starting a course on computer security, but is it as useful for the rest of us?

Book Watch

In this book Darryl Campbell argues that a lot of software has exposed us to immense risk at the societal and the individual levels. He blames “managerial software”: programs created and overseen not by engineers but by professional managers with only the most superficial knowledge of technology itself. Campbell shows how managerial software fails, and when it does what sorts of disastrous consequences ensue, from the Boeing 737 MAX crashes to a deadly self-driving car to PowerPoint propaganda, and beyond. Yet just because the tech industry is currently breaking its core promise does not mean the industry cannot change.  Campbell argues that the solution is tech workers with actual expertise establishing industry-wide principles of ethics and safety that corporations would be forced to follow.

With the subtitle "Infrastructure as Code with Terraform and OpenTofu" this book looks at Terraform and its open-source fork OpenTofu’s approach for infrastructure management. Robert Hafner considers its premise: to be able to provision, update, scale, and replicate infrastructure with the same ease as application code. The book covers the latest versions, standards, and approaches of Terraform and OpenTofu, from absolute basics all the way to advanced production uses. Every technique is illustrated with real-world examples.

In this book, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Gary Rivlin looks into the world of AI development in Silicon Valley. Over the course of more than a year, Rivlin closely follows founders and venture capitalists trying to capitalize on this AI moment. The people he follows include LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, the investor the Wall Street Journal once called, “the most connected person in Silicon Valley.” Through Hoffman, Rivlin is granted access to a number of companies on the cutting-edge of AI research, including OpenAI during their work on ChatGPT, and DeepMind, the AI startup that Google bought for $650  million in 2014. Rivlin also brings readers inside Microsoft, Meta, Google and other tech giants scrambling to keep pace.

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