Happy 25th birthday, Java!
Few things have stood the test of time in the Internet era. Technologies come and go at a rapid pace, as we create new and better tools to help us solve more and more complex problems. Once they've served their purpose, we bid them adieu and move on. Loyalty plays no part here. You either adapt or are left behind.
Looking back, you can (still) name a couple of game-changing products and technologies born decades ago that we continue to enjoy today. If you're a consumer, you're probably thinking of Windows or the Mac. If you're a software engineer, Java's high up on your list. And for good reason. As it celebrates its 25th birthday this weekend, it remains at the top of its game as one of the most popular programming languages ever created. Happy birthday, old timer!
Microsoft wants developers to start coding in the cloud
As software developers, we tend to get pretty attached to the IDE we use. And it's not hard to see why -- it's the tool we rely on the most, which enables us to create fantastic products and be productive while doing so.
And this can create a problem when we're faced with a change in our flow. We do not like change. Don't get me wrong. Change is great -- as long as it's not happening on our machines. Microsoft, however, doesn't mind a challenge, as it just unveiled Visual Studio Online. Like its name suggests, it's an IDE in the browser. Unlike its name suggests, that's only a small part of it.
.NET Core 3.0 is a huge leap forward
Microsoft has made lots of changes to .NET Core over the years, bringing tons of features over from its more mature and feature-rich sibling, .NET Framework. Still, the feature gap remained quite large for certain scenarios, leaving many developers waiting and wanting for more to be swayed away.
With .NET Core 3.0, which officially arrived this week, Microsoft may just win their hearts and minds once and for all.