Development News, Features, and Interviews

• What’s new in Apple’s Swift 4.0 language

  The programming language for MacOS and iOS apps offers an improved package manager, new source-code compatibility option, and many language improvements

• Java 9 is here: Everything you need to know

  Java SE 9 boasts modularity, REPL, compiler improvements, and much more—but it is also the end of its line

• Java EE 8 is here: What you need to know

  Support for the cloud, HTML5, and HTTP/2 highlight the changes in the enterprise Java platform

• IBM open-sources a microservices-friendly Java app server

  Developers can use the beta code from the open source Open Liberty project to provision, manage, and migrate microservices in Java apps

• Forget PHP! Facebook’s HHVM engine switches to Hack instead

  Because PHP 7 broke so much compatibility with PHP 5, Facebook’s Hip Hop Virtual Machine team decided to switch to Hack instead

• CoffeeScript 2 arrives with JavaScript syntax improvements

  Upgrades should require 'little or no refactoring' for most projects, but there are some breaking changes

• Angular 5 JavaScript framework delayed

  October 23 is the new target release date for Google’s JavaScript framework, which focuses on building progressive web apps

• What is Kotlin? The Java alternative explained

  Kotlin offers big advantages over Java for JVM and Android development, and plays nicely with Java in the same projects. Why not give it a try?

• Iroh brings dynamic code analysis to JavaScript

  Open source testing tool collects runtime data to reveal how JavaScript code behaves during execution

• Unwanted by Oracle, Java EE gets adopted by Eclipse

  A new name for Java EE is a likely outcome as the Eclipse Foundation figures out how to steward enterprise Java itself

• GitHub is converting its Atom text editor into an IDE

  The first step in making Atom a full-fledged software development environment is now available

• What’s new in JUnit 5 for Java testing

  JUnit 5 offers a foundation for testing frameworks on the JVM as well as a new programming model

• AssemblyScript compiles TypeScript to WebAssembly

  AssemblyScript brings fast, portable WebAssembly binaries within easy reach of TypeScript developers, although only a subset of TypeScript is supported

• Oracle: Java 9 will not receive long-term support

  Under Oracle's revamped release plan for standard Java, the Java Development Kit 9 will not be designated for long-term support

• Yarn 1.0 simplifies JavaScript dependency management

  Yarn's new Workspaces feature promises easier code sharing across projects without dependency synchronization issues

• Why Python and C# can’t displace Java, C, or C++

  As the programming language field gets more crowded and developers use more languages in their code, Python and C# suffer from inherent limits

• What is JSON? JavaScript Object Notation explained

  JSON has eclipsed XML as the preferred data interchange format for web applications and web services. Here’s why

• Nginx forges multilanguage app server for microservices

  The open source application server supports Python, Google Go, and PHP, with Java and Node.js support planned

• MEAN vs. LAMP for the future of programming

  LAMP diehards take note: The flexible simplicity of MongoDB, ExpressJS, AngularJS, and Node.js is no joke

• The road to Java 9: Twice-yearly releases are coming

  A move to GPL license and open-sourcing the JDK are also planned to make it easier for developers to adopt Java in their software