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Though each one has its own advantages and disadvantages, your choice will be ultimately based on your requirements as well as your familiarity with the code.

Before we begin, here is a quick intro:

Foundation

• Originally an internal style guide
• Conceived by ZURB design agency in 2008
• Release in the fall of 2011

Bootstrap

• Started out as an internal style guide in 2010
• Brainchild of former Twitter employees Mark Otto and Jacob Thornton
• Released in 2011

What they have in common

• Both of them are open source frameworks
• Both are responsive, meaning the developed web app or website can run in mobile or desktop devices regardless of the screen size
• Grid system to make easier layouts of websites or web apps
• JavaScript extensions
• Pre-styled CSS components

And now for the differences…

Customizability

Foundation and Bootstrap comes with Sass (Syntactically Awesome Style Sheets) support which means customization will be a walk in the park. However, when it comes to flexibility in customization, Foundation has no equal. While Bootstrap provides pre-build components for the UI design (your app or website goes up and running in no time), Foundation gives you the room and the features to design your own unique designs. With Bootstrap, you are going to have to make do with the pre-existing designs and themes that bear the closest resemblance to the design you have in mind.

Browser Support

Both Foundation and Bootstrap comes with gratifying browser support, in both mobile and desktop devices: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, Edge – you name it, they support it. However, the older Internet Explorer 8 is not supported by Bootstrap version 4 and higher, and the stable releases of Foundation.

Performance

Putting it in a nutshell here – both frameworks are good at what they do. The performance benchmarks indicate that there is only a negligible difference in the performance of both Bootstrap and Foundation. But if you consider the features to measure performance, the differences will be more apparent.

The Grid system

In the beginning, Foundation had one big advantage over Bootstrap – the grid system. But recently, Bootstrap caught up to Foundation deciding to go ‘the grid system’ way, taking out the only critical difference between the frameworks. The grid system lets designers lay out the building blocks of UI, fool around with the components, and come up with some unique layout in the end. Though both the frameworks feature the grid, Foundation still has a couple of grid features to boast about that Bootstrap doesn’t have. The workaround with Bootstrap is using custom codes to get the same functionality of those grid features Foundation possesses.

Community

When it comes to community, Bootstrap has the bigger gun. With the largest online community for a front-end framework, the designers get access to a plethora of custom themes and templates. Besides, the larger the community, the easier it is to find solutions for technical issues. However, Foundation isn’t that far behind. Though comparatively smaller, the Foundation community keeps growing consistently. It’s large enough for developers to get adequate technical support.

Which one triumphs over the other?

Now that’s something which ultimately comes down to the personal preferences of the designer. Because neither framework is going to disappoint the designers despite their relative strengths and vulnerabilities. While you can bet on Foundation for its ‘Mobile-first’ responsiveness, Bootstrap is the way to go if you are going to be relying on community support often.

The scale tilts slightly in favor of Bootstrap because of its grid system, speed and stability. Foundation offers more flexibility, and will quite likely catch up to Bootstrap soon with a couple of updates.

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Based on the supposed leaks of iPhone 7’s new features, here are a few that appeared more intriguing.

Bigger Battery

iPhone users have been demanding more battery capacity for a long time now. Apple has reportedly decided to deliver it in the iPhone 7 according to a tweet from Steve Hemmerstoffer who claims he got the info from an Apple source. The Apple Source confirmed a 1960 mAh battery for the iPhone 7 – a 14% increase from iPhone 6S’s 1715 mAh battery.

It was rumored that the iPhone 7 won’t be featuring the ubiquitous 3.5mm headphone jack. Although it can make you wonder why Apple chose to go with this controversial decision, it also means that the upcoming iPhone may have a thinner design with more space for sophisticated hardware. So a bigger battery capacity is possible.

Stereo Speakers

A French technology blog Nowhereelse.fr via CNET reported that the iPhone 7 could feature dual speakers. An additional speaker means the device will provide a better audio/video and gaming experience to users.

An earlier rumor claimed that there will be four speakers in the iPhone 7, but according to Forbes, the rumor was outdated and the source wasn’t credible.

Water Resistance

Recently, a China-based technology news website posted some interesting pics of iPhone 7 from a Foxconn presentation. From the pictures, it was evident that the iPhone 7 features IP68 water resistance. The phone will work without issues even after being submerged in water for 30 minutes.

The iPhone 6S and 6S Plus had waterproof casings protecting the cable connectors. So the iPhone 7 featuring better water resistance doesn’t sound farfetched. This feature could potentially give Apple iPhones a competitive advantage over the latest Galaxy series smartphones from Samsung.

Dual Lens Camera

The iPhone 7 is rumored to come in two variations – the standard iPhone 7 and an iPhone 7 Plus. From a few leaked iPhone 7 pictures, it’s believed that the device will feature dual lens camera. However, the feature is speculated to be present only in the iPhone 7 Plus version which sports a 5.5 inch screen.

Dual lens camera system can support better low light photography. Good quality pictures in darker environments and at night is a welcome feature.

Revamped Home Button

This rumor stemmed from several leaks claiming that Apple will be introducing a revamped home button in the iPhone 7. Presently, the home button (that presses into the device) is used to control Touch ID, app switching, Siri, and home screen. The new home button for iPhone 7 reportedly works similar to the 3D Touch in iPhone 6S and 6S Plus models.

Recently leaked pictures of the iPhone 7 sports a home button flattened and resembling a touch pad. If it actually is a touch pad, then there will be tapping actions to do various operations like launching Siri, view recent apps etc. The Touch ID would also be faster and smoother.

Other rumors

Lacking the headphone jack and with a revamped touch pad home button, the iPhone 7 will be a slim handset. According to AppleInsider, the iPhone 7 could be as thin as 6 millimeters.

Because the iPhone 7 rumors doesn’t mention any groundbreaking features other than the home button, it is speculated that the upcoming model will be called iPhone 6SE instead of iPhone 7. 2016 is almost over, and it’s unlikely that Apple will release a new model this year without much major improvements.

We will know for sure once the announcement is made next month. Not a long wait, and hopefully iPhone fans will not be disappointed.

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With the visitors increasing day by day, your business will reach new heights (some don’t make it that far though. Digital realm can be tough). But then, with a booming business, you will probably scale up your hosting plan. You are going to need a bigger storage capacity to save all that information from visitors.

Scaled up, and everything going smoothly when suddenly you notice that someone is messing around with the private information of your customers (users; assuming you are running an eCommerce website). First, you panic. Then there will be chaos. Who knows what this person will do with that all that information your customers so trustingly provided you.

This is where you need SSL to take care of things.

What SSL Does?

SSL or Secure Sockets Layer is your sentinel. It can protect the sensitive data between the server and the client by encrypting them. An SSL certificate for your eCommerce website not only protects the data and invokes trust but also drives your website to a positive search engine ranking.

SSL is a must-have for any eCommerce website or web applications where financial transactions happen. That being said, many would claim that bloggers don’t actually require SSL as they are only providing information to visitors unlike eCommerce sites. You should consider the fact that blogs are not something that just provides information. Blogs may affect the decision made by the reader on something.

Blogs aren’t safe from man-in-the-middle attacks either – a security issue not to be underestimated. But SSL encryption takes care of that as well.

Types of SSL

There are different types of SSL certifications to choose from. They are grouped based on the number of secured domains or subdomains and the validation level.

Based on secured domain/subdomain

Single name SSL – Only secures a single host name – either one of your domains or one of your subdomains.

Wildcard SSL – This is what you want if your domain has a lot of subdomains. But only secures the subdomains of a single domain.

Multi-domain SSL – The way to go when you have multiple domains and subdomains. Secures them all.

Based on validation level

Domain validation – Done using email or by adding a DNS record. You just need to validate the fact that you own the domain. It’s cheap, quick to acquire, and ideal for blogs. However, not recommended for eCommerce websites.

Organization validation – Here, the Certificate Authority validates your ownership of the domain. It isn’t much different from domain validation.

Extended validation – Ever noticed a green HTTPS in the address bar of websites? This one gives the same to your website. If your website deals with transactions, you’d better get this certificate. You will go through a rigid authentication procedure, but end up having the browser display that the certificate was issued to your organization. Instant trust material.

More information on SSL…

Shared SSLs and Dedicated SSLs

One is free. The other is not. Hazard a guess.

Good guess. Shared SSLs are free. Companies like CloudFlare offers free SSLs making bloggers happy (if you ignore a few security concerns). Also, don’t expect a lot of support for shared SSLs, though a bit of Googling can remedy that.

Dedicated SSLs on the other hand will cost you, after which you will fully own them. They have good technical support.

Some more information on SSL…

You can buy SSL certificates from companies that sell them. If you are selling expensive goods through your eCommerce website, you should consider the trust factor before buying an SSL from a seller. Companies like Symantec (previously VeriSign), Comodo etc sell SSL certificates and are popular brand names.

There are economical deals for buying SSLs, and expensive ones if you own a high end eCommerce website or a productive web application for official use.

Where does a dedicated IP fit in?

Well, a dedicated IP address is not a prerequisite anymore to host an SSL certificate. However, if you have one, your SSL can be linked to that IP.

Even more information on SSL…

There are offers for SSL certificates on shared IP addresses as well. It’s referred to as SNI (Server Name Indication) – the host a client is a trying to connect to, and it allows connecting multiple certificates to the same IP address and gate.

Of course, there are trade-offs.

Mismatching certificate errors, incompatibility with older versions of web browsers etc. to name a few.

• The minimum tenure for purchasing an SSL certificate is 1 year (no monthly deal).
• A minimum of 128 bit SSL certificate is required if you want your website to accept debit/credit cards.

By now, you should have a good idea about what SSL can do for you and your business. Know that SSL can also make Google give you ranking benefits. So protection, sense of security to customers, and a pat on the back from Google – should be enough to get you on the SSL bandwagon.

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I would say my 4 years of education in computer science and engineering brought in me a desire to work in software field.

What is your current role at Verbat? What do you like most about it?

Being a fresh graduate everything is pretty new for me .As a first step towards it ,am studying the project proposals ,documentation, creating flow charts etc. The thing which I liked the most is the working environment that I am being put in and the duties assigned.

Coolest gadget you own, want to own or have read about?

Coolest gadget i own will be my mobile phone!!

What would you like to tell us about yourself?

I consider myself to be a people’s person, would like to maintain a friendly relationship with one another, studious in completing the duties assigned to me within the time limit.

Describe your personality in one word?

AWESOME.

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LAMP stands for Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP/Python/Perl.

MEAN is an acronym for MongoDB, Express.js, Angular.js, and Node.js

There still seems to be a confusion when faced with a choice of MEAN or LAMP stacks for web development. The backend languages, server environment and databases are different for both.

Let’s discuss the pros and cons of MEAN and LAMP stacks with respect to 3 key areas – Web server, database and operating system.

The Web Server

Apache provides the web server for LAMP stack while Node.js holds that responsibility in the MEAN stack. LAMP stack has been there for a long time. And that is also one of the reasons why Apache is considered a mature technology, where you can get new extensions when they are available.

As for Node.js, it’s a relatively new technology. While you still get quite a few active plug-ins, you will still have to write your own plug-ins to cover those areas missing necessary functionalities. Node.js is event-based and also locks codes on the web server into JavaScript. This can complicate things when you try to convert a sophisticated back-end program.

Database

LAMP uses MySQL or other relational databases while MEAN works with MongoDB, a non-relational database. If you are in a situation where you have to translate the data in an existing SQL database, you will soon find it tiresome to remove redundant object attributes, and may have to rely on a custom software for this purpose.

Relational databases are comparatively easier to work with but is on the verge of becoming outdated. MongoDB features faster data retrieval and is more scalable though.

The Operating System

LAMP stack locks the operating system to Linux and its variants. There are no such restrictions in MEAN, as you can run it in any OS compatible with Node.js. Linux isn’t your only option if you are using MEAN stack, though it is still considered to be the best OS for a server environment.

Both LAMP and MEAN have pros and cons in all 3 key areas. Let’s assess a few more facts before concluding.
It is said that you can only master MEAN stack once you have mastered JavaScript. It’s going to be a tad tedious, but worth it. However, LAMP stack works with front-end JavaScript and back-end PHP, just comfortable enough for developers to develop an application without much worries.

While MEAN stack is faster and more scalable, LAMP is a tried-and-tested web stack with a secure infrastructure and a large support community.

Conclusion

Although many developers claim that MEAN stack will eventually replace LAMP stack, there are others who still believe in the latter’s potential. LAMP is time-tested, stable and sturdy, with tons of online tutorials and support availability. Its back-end architecture allows you to do whatever you want to do on the front-end. MySQL is still one of the most widely used databases.

MEAN stack features a single language from top to bottom, in addition to flexible deployment and faster data retrieval capabilities. You are free from micromanaging schemas and migrations in the database as it uses a non-relational NoSQL database. With JavaScript gaining popularity, MEAN stack is attracting more developers every year.

Deciding between LAMP and MEAN will mostly depend on the organizations you work for and the projects under development.

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It’s a passive feature, which means you don’t have to enable/disable any settings or go through any other hassles to do this. Install the latest update of WhatsApp first. To use the formatting feature, use 3 special characters before and after the text.

• Bold: Add an asterisk (*) before and after the word you want to embolden
  Example: *bold*
• Italics: Add an underscore (_) before and after your chosen words or phrases
  Example: _italic_
• Strikethrough: Add a tide (~) before and after the words or phrases you want to strike a line through.
  Example: ~Strikethrough~

You may like this also  – What App Developers Can Expect From Android Wear 2.0

The update also brought a few other features that could come in handy.

Reply from the notifications panel

The latest update also added the new ‘Quick Reply’ feature. This allows the users to reply to messages from the notification panel itself rather than replying from the chat window after launching WhatsApp.

Chat management is quicker

Another new feature allows users to start, mute, delete and archive multiple chats at a time quickly. Just tap and hold the chats in the chat screen to select them, and then use the options.

Quick camera & upload

The update added a quick camera button to chat window right next to where you type. It enables you to snap a pic instantly and upload it or choose from the most recently snapped images in your album which appears near the capture button.

Hopefully, another update will come with a video call feature for WhatsApp. The new update is available only for devices running Android v2.1 or newer.

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The Developer preview 2 of Android wear 2.0 was recently released much to the delight of android developers who wish to get their apps ready for launch.

The preview is packed with features, of which the most important ones are:

• Android Platform API 24 (matching Android Nougat)
• Wrist Gesture commands for third-party applications
• Wearable Drawers enhancements

API 24

An upgrade to the present platform, the API 24 now matches Android’s upcoming Nougat 7.0. Developers can now update the compileSdkVersion of their Android Wear 2.0 preview project to API 24. In addition to this, Google also recommends updating targetSdkVersion to API 24.

API 24 brings in a lot of fun features from live background options to music album art options.

Wrist Gesture

Earlier, only the users were able to use wrist gestures feature, mostly to scroll through the notification stream. The developer preview 2 has now extended this functionality to the developers so they can use it within their applications. The purpose is to improve single hand usage experience, effectively making the smartwatch much handier when it comes to multi-tasking.

Wearable Drawers enhancement

Wearable drawers first came along with the Preview 1 of Android Wear 2.0. UX guidelines were also provided to help users integrate the action drawer and navigation drawer in Android Wear.

Developer preview 2 comes with more support for wearable drawer peeking. With this, users can now access the drawers as they scroll. Some other great UI improvements include:

• Navigation drawer closure
• Automatic peek view

The first action will be now shown in WearableActionDrawer’s peek view.

Google also added a few attributes for developers that let them build custom wearable drawers. The WearableDrawerView now have ‘peek_view’ and ‘drawer_content’ attributes. To update navigation drawer contents, all they need to do is call ‘notifyDataSetChanged’.

Android Wear 2.0 will be out in a few months as an OTA update. However, only a few older model smartwatches will be eligible for the upgrade. The full list of devices that’ll be getting the update will be released soon.

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Originally announced as ASP.NET vNext, it was later referred to as ASP.NET 5. But because the core concept was new and due to a couple of other reasons, ASP.NET 5 was renamed ASP.NET Core 1.0. One reason for renaming was that the Core 1.0 framework wasn’t designed as a replacement or a continuation of ASP.NET 4.6.

It’s an all new modular and comparatively smaller framework that works well with everything else we know about ASP.NET Development.

What does it bring to the table?

ASP.NET Core 1.0 is a full re-write. It’s an open source, cross-platform framework with an alternative to Mono – CoreCLR, allowing developers to build and run applications on both CoreCLR and Mono regardless of the computer’s operating system. Node.js has been heavily integrated into the framework to run pre and post build events.

Microsoft took a big leap by introducing a new IDE in the form of the Visual Studio Code editor – open source as well. Apparently, Microsoft went to great lengths and invested heavily on ASP.NET Core 1.0 to make it cross platform portable.

But why?

Running applications in not just Windows but Mac and Linux too? Yes, it seems. But why would Microsoft invest so much to attract developers who don’t use Windows? They are already keen on using effective technologies they are familiar with and it’s unlikely they will use MS SQL server in their projects.

Visual Studio Code is free as well. Though it doesn’t matter, there is no clear answer to these questions apart from a few speculations. The .NET community is shrinking. It could be the reason why Microsoft decided to go completely cross-platform to attract .NET developers from every nook and corner.

Without .NET developers, demand for Microsoft Azure and MS SQL will dwindle. Think about it. Windows desktop application development is taking its last breath. The mobile app market still belongs to Android and iOS. This leaves web applications development where ASP.NET still reigns (sort of) despite heavy competition.

Now non-windows users will also be able to develop web applications with ASP.NET Core 1.0. The lack of portability issue has been addressed as well. Things are finally starting to look good for Microsoft.

The Replacement

The ASP.NET 4.6 was a disappointment for many developers as they didn’t get to try out big innovations. The innovations were not readily made available in the Windows platform. The developers couldn’t keep up with the vastly changing technology and knew little to nothing about new innovations that other open source frameworks provided.

Add to that the lack of cross platform compatibility, and it will make more sense why ASP.NET community became smaller.

This is why ASP.NET Core 1.0 is considered to be a game changer.

• Open source
• Cross platform compatible
• Fast, modular and extensible
• Can be developed with languages like C#, F# etc.

ASP.NET 4.6 is living on borrowed time and will eventually go down in history as the new classic ASP.NET. But for now, it won’t completely vanish. ASP.NET Core 1.0 offers some exciting prospects with compelling features. The future of web development looks bright at this point.

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While some consider Microservices as the future of architectural style, many others still prefer SOA. Let’s get an idea on our contenders so we can come to a conclusion.

Microservices

Considered to be the modern day go-to architectural style for developing highly scalable applications, microservices addresses quite a lot of problems associated with large, cumbersome applications. It’s a service-based architecture with independently deployable services as the primary components.

It provides better control throughout the development, testing and implementation cycles, but has a limited service taxonomy when you consider service type classifications. It also makes use of an inter-service communication protocol (REST, JSON etc.).

SOA

SOA can defined in many different ways because this architectural style has been constantly evolving over the years. It was designed to bring order to sophisticated combinations of enterprise-level software by representing them as collections of services. SOA also uses service communication protocols. It can be considered as a superset of microservices.

It relies on a shared data model. The model will have complex relationships between numerous data structures and models, and multiple hierarchies. The tiered organizational structure of SOA facilitates service coordination and messaging functionalities.

Now that you have a basic idea, let’s get ready to rumble. For starters, let’s make this a three rounds bout.

Round 1: Services Decoupling – SOA is based on a shared data model. Therefore, you can expect it to have tight data coupling between services and other system components. This makes it quite resistant to changes. Some additional re-testing might be necessary in some instances to make sure that changes haven’t negatively affected any service.

Microservices architecture runs with a concept referred to as bounded context, which promotes an association between a single service and its data. It isn’t possible to completely eliminate sharing of services but it can be considerably minimized. Whenever sharing is required, it’s avoided by replicating common functions across services instead of using data sharing. Though this data decoupling facilitates deployments more often, it also cuts down testing scope.

Round 2: Messaging Middleware of SOA vs Microservices’ API Layer – SOA’s multi-tier model features a central messaging middleware layer. As for microservices, there is a non-coordinating API layer over the services that constitute an application.

Messaging Layer key points:

• Additional capabilities including message transformation, mediation, and routing.
• Elevated data and functional coupling degree
• Increased complexity
• Increased deployment and maintenance costs

API Layer key points:

• Simpler than messaging layer of SOA
• Easy to change granularity of services
• Easy to change internal data representations
• No modification required of the requesting application (for both changes)

Round 3: Coordination of Services – With a central hub controller, SOA maintains order in the execution of services. Microservices use inter-service communication protocols for the same.

A microservice can call another microservice whenever necessary so as to complete its function. The service that’s been called can call other services as well (a process called service chaining). Too much chaining isn’t advised and should be avoided as it indicates a degree of functional coupling with no benefits at all.

Conclusion and Verdict

Both subjects in question appeared good in the 3 rounds. However, one cannot replace the other as there are many other variables that indicate further distinctions between microservices and SOA.

While SOA can address a set of heterogeneous applications in sophisticated enterprise systems facilitating shared services across applications and functions, microservices is an optimal approach for web-based, smaller, less-complex applications. These applications do not require explicit service coordination.

Because of granularity and high independency of services, the microservices’ model finds a place with continuous deployment models of software development.

The verdict from the above arguments would slightly tilt in favor of microservices. But both of them can be highly effective depending on the context where they are used. Microservices approach can deliver agile applications that can necessarily transform into an SOA-styled architecture.

SOA, on the other hand, can apply microservices principles for better statistics in maintenance and performance.

Conclusion? Both are effective depending on the working environments. It’s a tie.

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