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Community

Future Trends in Web Design: Innovations Shaping the Digital Landscape

It is an exciting time for web designers as there are many opportunities to create innovative and engaging websites that meet the needs of the future. In this article, let’s talk about the future trends in web design. In the end, we will also talk about some tips as to how you can keep up with these new trends that are changing the digital landscape.

Data-driven Design

The first future trend with innovations that we must discuss is data-driven design. Web designers are using data analytics to help them tailor their designs. This helps in improving user experiences further. So, they are stepping beyond intuition and focused on analytics instead.

For example, web designers are using A/B testing, user feedback, and analytics to understand the behavior of users. This is making the online world more user-oriented.

Cyber-Security and Privacy-Focused Web Design

As the concerns related to data breaches and privacy increase, web designers are prioritizing privacy-focused web design. They use HTTPS, a strong authentication methods to protect the end user’s privacy.

Immersive User Experiences with AR and VR

Immersive technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are having a significant impact on web design. These technologies can create more engaging and interactive experiences for users.

For example, VR can transport users to different worlds, such as a virtual showroom or a product demo. AR can overlay digital information in the real world. An example of this could be providing directions or product information.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence also has a profound role in shaping the digital landscape. AU algorithms are personalizing the user experience. They study the user behavior and match it with their demographics to provide users with a customized journey.

AI can also automate tasks such as image optimization and code generation. Apart from making your life easier as a web designer, AI can also help you communicate with users through AI-powered chatbots. So, you can engage in real-time conversations with users and guide them.

So, AI is ultimately shifting the landscape of the online world.

Voice User interfaces (VUIs)

Apart from Artificial intelligence, VUIs are becoming increasingly popular. Web designers are starting to incorporate them into their designs. VUIs allow users to interact with websites using voice commands, which can be more convenient and accessible than traditional input methods such as typing and clicking.

Apart from VUIs, conversational design, such as chatbots, is also changing the digital landscape.

Visual Storytelling

As we move forward, the secret of future web design is visual storytelling. One of the best tools for this is WooCommerce product videos. Product videos breathe life into otherwise static websites. Using this plugin for your online business, you can showcase your products in action. This will help your customers visualize your products beforehand.

Apart from its marketing benefits, visual storytelling also helps to build a connection with the audience. It develops understanding and trust. You can enhance your user engagement as well.

Minimalistic and Sustainable Design

The importance of minimalism is growing in the digital world as well. Users prefer clean layouts and simpler designs now. This enhances the user experience by simplifying navigation and prioritizing content.

The rule is that every element on the website should serve a purpose.

Motion UI

Motion UI is a technique that uses animation to create more engaging designs. Motion UI can create animations that guide users through a website, highlight essential elements, and provide feedback on user actions.

For example, Motion UI can be used to create an animation that shows a user how to fill out a form or how to use a product. It can also be used to create animations that are visually appealing and engaging.

Motion UI is a powerful tool that can be used to create more engaging and user-friendly websites.

Micro-interactions

Micro-interactions are small but meaningful interactions between a user and a website. Micro-interactions can provide feedback on user actions, confirm changes, and make the user experience more enjoyable.

For example, a micro-interaction might be a button that changes color when the user hovers over it or a sound effect that plays when the user completes a task.

Micro-interactions are a subtle but essential part of the web design process. By carefully designing micro-interactions, web designers can create a more enjoyable and user-friendly user experience.

Apart from that, micro-interactions can also be used to convey complex ideas with just one click.

Accessibility

Accessibility is becoming increasingly important in web design. Web designers are increasingly focused on creating accessible websites for all users, including those with disabilities.

This includes using accessible fonts, colors, and layouts and providing alternative text for images. Accessibility also ensures that websites can be used with different input devices, such as screen readers and keyboards.

By making websites more accessible, web designers can help to create a more inclusive digital landscape.

What factors are shaping the Future of Web Design?

To understand the future trends in web design better, let’s also talk about the factors that are shaping these trends.

  • The rise of blockchain technology: Blockchain technology has the potential to revolutionize the way we design and interact with the web. Blockchain can be used to develop new web design tools and techniques.
  • The increasing importance of data: Data is playing an increasingly important role in web design. Web designers use data to understand user behavior, personalize the user experience, and optimize websites for performance.
  • The growing popularity of low-code and no-code tools: Low-code and no-code tools are making it easier for people to create websites without learning to code. This is democratizing web design and making it more accessible to a broader range of people.
  • The rise of the metaverse: The metaverse is a virtual world expected to become increasingly popular in the coming years. Web designers must create new and innovative ways to design and develop websites and applications for the metaverse.

Tips for Web Designers to Keep Up with the Latest Trends

Now that you understand the exciting future trends of web design, let’s talk about some tips as to how you can keep up with these new developments.

  • Keep up with the latest trends and technologies. Read industry blogs and articles, attend conferences, and experiment with new tools and techniques.
  • Focus on creating immersive and engaging experiences. Use immersive technologies such as VR and AR, AI, and Motion UI to create websites that are more than just static pages.
  • Make your websites accessible to all users. Use accessible fonts, colors, layouts, and provide alternative text for images.

Optimize your websites for performance and security. Use optimization techniques and performance testing tools to ensure that your websites load quickly and perform smoothly.

Conclusion

As a web designer, you must prepare yourself for the future instead of losing your value in the highly competitive market. You should keep yourself updated about the latest trends. For example, you can learn about immersive technologies such as VR and AR, AI, Motion UI, micro-interactions, and accessibility. Also, do not hesitate to experiment. Try new tools and techniques in your web design and personalize them according to user behaviors. Remember, the world is changing, and so should you!  

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Developer Nation Broadcast

Podcast #3 – The Developer Advocacy Universe with Adrienne Tacke

The Developer Advocacy Universe with Adrienne Tacke

In this Developer Nation broadcast episode, Ayan interviews Adrienne Tacke, a Senior Developer Advocate at Cisco, discussing her career journey and the field of developer advocacy. Adrienne shares her unexpected path into software development, starting with an internship during college. She emphasizes that a computer science degree isn’t necessary for a successful career in development; a passion for learning and an eagerness to explore new technologies can be equally valuable. While a degree can provide a solid foundation, ongoing learning is key, and it’s beneficial to grasp foundational computer science concepts even without formal education.

Adrienne discusses her transition to developer advocacy, driven by her desire to share her journey through conference speaking. She highlights the joy of travelling and connecting with various developer communities worldwide. However, she also mentions the challenges faced by developer advocates, including multitasking, burnout risk, and maintaining high-quality content creation. While the role offers numerous rewards, it comes with hard work and demands attention to balance and prioritization. The conversation sheds light on the behind-the-scenes work and the multifaceted nature of developer advocacy.

Intrigued by Adrienne’s journey and the world of developer advocacy? If you want to dive deeper into her experiences, challenges, and the vibrant field of developer relations, don’t miss the full episode. Tune in for a wealth of insights and inspiring stories.

You can listen on Spotify:

or watch the entire thing here:

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Community Tips

10 Expert Tactics For Ensuring Cross-Platform App Consistency

If you’re looking for some of the best practices to ensure cross-platform app design consistency, then you’ve come to the right place. This blog will cover all the aspects of maintaining consistency and how to build a fully functional application. 

App development is a vast field and comes with many challenges to face. One of the challenges is to keep the UI design sustainable on all the platforms. That is why designers need to perform multiple techniques and methods to ensure that apps are working perfectly fine.

Why Consistency Is Important in UI Design?

UI design is the most important element of any application as it grabs the user’s attention. The more seamless and clean the UI design the less frustrated the users get. 7 out of 10 apps get deleted because of their bad UI design.

So, again consistency is key, keep the UI design uniform and let the user control the accessibility and have full control over the app.

But first, let’s put light on the difference between the three app platforms.

A. How Are Cross-Platform Apps Different From Native and Hybrid Apps?

Businesses always demand an app that can work even on the old versions of Android and iOS. A large number of users have old smartphone models, so no user should be left out.

Only a designer can have the best knowledge of all three, so let’s see how they are different from each other.

Cross-platform  VS   Native   VS  Hybrid Apps

Each of them holds significance in app development, however, you can differentiate between them based on these parameters.

  • Performance 
  • Customization 
  • App Data Security 
  • Overall Cost 
  • Market Competition
Factors Cross-PlatformNativeHybrid Apps
PerformanceDepends on the frameworkNo limitation when it comes to speedHigh development speed
CustomizationCan be customized according to user experienceHas better UI capabilities because it can be customizedHybrid apps can be customized
CostBest for low-cost and limited-budgetHigh-costCost-effective
App data securityAble to protect the user dataComes with built-in security featuresProvides security to an extent with encryption
Market competitionDoesn’t take much time to buildQuite time-consumingSame as CP saves time, and has reusable code

B. These 10 Expert Practices Will Maintain Consistency

These tactics are straight from a professional Android app development company. However, to ensure consistency it can be applied on other platforms as well.

i – Screen Size Adaptability

Start off with the screen size, as the devices are of different sizes and resolutions. Apps should be tested back-to-back on all the devices to ensure the screen size fits all the devices.

ii – Multiple Device Test

Experts suggest that when apps are all set to be launched, they need to be tested by the quality assurance manager. As a result, this will keep the app free from bugs and errors that keep meddling the user’s way.

iii –  Keep it clutter-free

Mobile app UI design should be decluttered in the sense that when users find so many options and tap on one screen it fills the screen. This is another thing that designers should focus on to keep consistency.

iv – Work On Readability for Visual Consistency

Visual readability is the most essential of all, the whole app design will fail if it doesn’t attract the users. This includes; themes, fonts, color palettes, imagery, and icons. All of these are focused on ensuring the users don’t find any trouble with the outlay of the app.

v – Keep In Mind The Finger Taps

The more time the user spends on the finger taps the more annoyed they become. Finger taps should be friendly and fast, slow loading taps are frustrating and consume time.

vi – Intuitive App Navigation

App navigations are like finding a way on a map, but expert designers suggest that taps and options should be not hidden under layers of pages.

vii –  Platform Rules Should Be Followed

All three platforms have some rules to keep in mind, so as per experts, each app’s standard should be maintained pre- and post-launch of the application.

viii –  Readability

When designing cross-platform apps, if there is one factor that triggers the whole app user experience, it is Readability. As apps are developed for all screen sizes and resolutions, content should be readable without pressuring the user’s eye. Also, the content should be brief and not long paragraphs.

ix – Review UI Pattern For Internal Consistency

For internal consistency, all the app pages should be followed by a review to ensure that the app has a consistent pattern of UI allowing users to retain their memory and enhance their learning.

x – Research the platform For External Consistency

Lastly, no app can be developed on any of the platforms if it is not well-researched. All the apps have their standards set. So, in order to keep the elements consistent, research is the key. So, spend time on the practices followed by the professionals in many top app development companies.

C. Some Of The Best Frameworks For Cross-Platform Apps

These 3 frameworks are used widely by the developers of iOS and Android app development. 

i – Ionic

Developers create unique and attractive UI designs with Ionic.  They can even alter the code structure which helps them to make modifications in the app design anytime.

ii – Flutter

Flutter is another framework that is considered impressive for building apps for cross-platform applications.

Moreover, this framework doesn’t require continuous updating so that implies that it will help in maintaining a consistent UI design. Also, it can work on all sorts of new interfaces.

iii – React Native

No apps can be developed without having React Native on their hands. All the bugs and errors are fixed easily with it.  Besides, the reason why React Native is given much consideration is because it requires one code for all which saves developers a lot of time. 

Conclusion

These were some of the best expert tactics to ensure the UI design consistency of the apps.

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Community Tips

How to Develop and Improve Collaboration in DevOps Teams

DevOps is becoming more and more popular in the world of business. By streamlining the development and IT management processes, DevOps reduces organizational silos and produces a better final product or service for the customer.

However, DevOps is fundamentally reliant on strong collaboration. Without honest, open, and easy communication and shared working practices across your organization, DevOps will just be a buzzword. 

If you want to introduce a true DevOps philosophy and culture to your organization, read on to learn how to develop and introduce collaboration in your DevOps teams.

What is DevOps?

DevOps refers to a set of practices and philosophies that aim to overhaul the culture of your organization – that means it’s quite difficult to get your head around what DevOps actually is.

It can be useful to start with an example. Let’s say, for instance, that you create a remote desktop software for iPad. Under a DevOps model, the people managing that software will be the same overall team that developed it. This means that any issues can be easily resolved as the management team will be true experts in the software.

DevOps is best thought of as an approach to software development and management that aims to overcome the gap between the planning and programming stage and the implementation and feedback stage. Rather than splitting the overall development process between a programming team and an IT team, DevOps creates one streamlined operation.

This can help you to draw on a wider range of expertise and skills, remove barriers to truly creative collaboration, and develop more effective operations.

In order for an organization to use a DevOps model, you must be prepared to break down the traditional divide between development and operations teams. This can take a range of different forms: you might choose to merge both operations together into one team or you might choose to integrate even more teams, such as those responsible for managing websites.

Why is collaboration so important in DevOps?

Why is collaboration so important in DevOps?

Because DevOps is all about getting previously separate teams to work together, it shouldn’t be a surprise that effective collaboration is what makes or breaks a DevOps model.

As automation – tools that make DevOps easier by automating processes previously divided between development and operations teams – is a key part of DevOps, some companies prioritize automation over collaboration. However, you have to remember that the tools are only as good as the people who use them.

Collaboration and communication is important from the very beginning of a transition to DevOps. That’s because people are naturally resistant to change – explaining why you’re overhauling existing organizational structures can create buy-in among employees. At the same time, you should show how collaboration can work in practice to produce better outcomes.

Without effective collaboration running through your DevOps team, you can probably assume that your processes will soon end up simply operating as before: divided between development and operations teams.

How to improve DevOps collaboration: a step-by-step guide

If you’re using a DevOps structure, therefore, it’s pretty clear that you need to always be developing and improving collaboration. Without this, you won’t be seeing any of the benefits that come with DevOps. So how can you improve DevOps collaboration in your organization?

1) Identify any clear collaboration problems

Before you start making any changes to your DevOps processes, you should take a step back and consider what is already working well and what can be improved. If there are any immediate issues, such as problems with your online telephone service that prevent engineers from working with each other, you should prioritize those.

You should also talk with employees from across the DevOps team. Their experiences will dictate what you need to focus on as you look to improve collaboration. You could also use business analytics tools to establish the effectiveness of collaboration in your organization.

2) Increase the visibility of everyone’s work

Increase the visibility of everyone’s work

If you want people to work collaboratively on a project, they need to actually be able to see the work that is being done. Improving visibility should be a key part of any DevOps model – engineers should be able to see what each other is working on and the levels of progress across the team so that they know who to offer help to.

For some developers, this can be a daunting step. After all, it’s easy to feel protective or embarrassed about work in progress. However, full visibility will let everyone learn from what others are doing.

Achieving full visibility in the technology sector can be difficult. Despite this, you can improve visibility by finding a workflow software that lets the entire team see test results, feedback, and ongoing development. By encouraging engineers to download remote desktop connection tools, your team will be able to have visibility of each other’s work from anywhere in the world.

3) Remove barriers to information

In the traditional model of using separate development and operations teams, engineers who produced a piece of software wouldn’t have had access to most of the information about how that software worked in practice. This had a detrimental effect on their future work, as they couldn’t learn from their earlier efforts.

That’s why an important principle that supports any DevOps culture is free access to information. This is obviously true for information such as testing results but should also apply to your overall culture and mindset: if you work in an office, keep your door open during meetings.

While you’ll have to be careful to consider privacy and security regulations, try to grant open access to your data for all DevOps engineers. By having the same information to draw on, your engineers will find collaboration much easier.

On top of this, consider communication tools like transcription software. These can remove barriers for the entire DevOps team by ensuring everyone has access to notes from meetings and can search for and edit past meeting notes in collaborative documents.

4) Celebrate bravery

Celebrate bravery

Collaboration can be an intimidating concept, especially if your developers are used to working in small siloed teams. That’s why creating a culture of collaboration is so important. One great way to do this is by publicly celebrating those engineers and developers who were brave enough to experiment with other engineers.

You should point out that collaboration is often a risk; developers will be worried about failing publicly. Celebrating the process of collaboration – even if the outcomes are failures – can be a really powerful way to develop a collaborative mindset among your DevOps team.

This culture of collaboration is also important when it comes to hiring; you shouldn’t just rely on technical screening. Instead, look for potential employees who are able and willing to collaborate effectively.

5) Mix up your teams

Many companies fail at DevOps by pursuing a DevOps model in name only – they don’t actually integrate the development and operations teams. Sometimes, building a successful DevOps team will require you to specifically diversify the subteams that deal with certain problems.

If you’re new to DevOps, you might want to buddy up developers with operations engineers. Forcing them together will encourage a collaborative practice to develop, while also speeding up the process of integration between the two teams. You should carefully consider the different skills of your employees and buddy up those with contrasting experiences and strengths.

It’s also important that you consider how to have a varied range of perspectives across your DevOps team. With remote working tools like RealVNC becoming more and more sophisticated, you can hire the perfect people for your team without having to worry about their location – this means that you can easily diversify your DevOps team as you grow.

6) Cultivate a DevOps mindset from the very top

Cultivate a DevOps mindset from the very top

Whether you’re a developer or engineer working in a DevOps team, or a member of your company’s management team, you have a responsibility to grow the DevOps mindset through your words, actions, and working processes.

This is especially important for leaders – they should model what good collaborative work looks like in practice by being open, accessible, and approachable. They should respect the insights of every team member and encourage them to put forward their views and opinions.

An important part of encouraging the DevOps mindset from the top of the organization is by providing opportunities to upskill your employees. This can let team members who originally worked solely as early-stage software developers build skills that are more applicable to the holistic and integrated environment of a DevOps workplace.

This will help to grow a collaborative DevOps mindset as employees will feel more confident and secure in their own skills, meaning that they’re more willing to risk failing publicly by working collaboratively.

Collaboration: the key to a successful DevOps mindset 

If you want DevOps to be more than just another buzzword in your organization, it’s vital that you find ways to develop and improve collaboration between your software developers and engineers.

Our guide to collaboration in DevOps will help you achieve this. By increasing visibility and removing barriers to information, some of the practical issues hindering collaboration will be overcome.

You can then start to focus on growing a collaborative mindset among your employees. Start celebrating collaborative work and model this from the top – soon, you’ll have a successful DevOps team working in harmony!

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Community Tips

The Future of Front-End Development: Don’t Get Left Behind

Front-end development is really the closest coding gets to connecting directly with users. Every choice you make impacts the experiences people have with websites and mobile apps. This makes your skills and creative perspectives as a developer extremely valuable to organizations that need online resources. Which, let’s face it, is pretty much every organization today.

That said, the digital landscape is constantly changing. To keep being successful as a developer, you need to have a good understanding of what the future of front-end is likely to be and how you can navigate it. Let’s dive a little deeper into this issue.

In-Demand Features and Tech

As a front-end developer, one of the keys to not getting left behind is to embrace the technology and features that clients are prioritizing. This isn’t just the elements that are popular now, but also those that are likely to demand in the foreseeable future. Nobody’s expecting you to be both the master of all skills and a technological Nostradamus all rolled into one. Nevertheless, there are a few areas of front-end dev it’s worth keeping on top of.

Chatbots

Businesses are increasingly considering chatbots to be a front-line customer service and informational tool. It is, therefore, important to be adept in making conversational platforms that are relevant to specific clients’ individual needs and integrating these into websites. There are various platforms to help with this, including DialogFlow, which uses Google’s natural language processing (NLP) tools to support voice and text-based conversations.

Offline accessibility

Businesses naturally want their consumers to be able to engage with their web resources or apps easily and conveniently. Unfortunately, low network connectivity and dropped signals can disrupt this. One of the solutions is establishing offline accessibility. This is why it’s important to know how to implement effective caching, data storage, and information retrieval procedures. They let users interact with resources to some extent until connections have been restored.

Autocoding

Artificial intelligence (AI) driven coding tools can’t replace the creativity of developers. Nevertheless, it’s worth considering that autocoding platforms can be tools for efficient development. Starting to identify where to strategically automate some aspects of coding can streamline processes. On one hand, this gives you space to dedicate your attention to creative and problem-solving aspects. On the other, it makes you a more agile contributor for clients whose needs can change quickly.

Developing Collaboratively

As a front-end developer, it can certainly feel as though you’re operating pretty independently. Nevertheless, there are ways you collaborate on projects. This can be with clients or back-end developers, among others. These collaborations are likely to continue being important in the foreseeable future. To be left behind, you need to stay on top of how the nature of collaboration is likely to change.

Some of the aspects to be aware of include:

  • Collaborating remotely: One of the great advantages of the digital landscape is that companies have access to talented contributors across the world. This means that collaborating remotely, potentially between different time zones is likely to be key to your future in front-end development. Start getting familiar with tools that make these easier, like project management platforms and digital whiteboards for asynchronous ideation.
  • Collaborating in the metaverse: Virtual spaces are looking increasingly likely to be the future of online interactions. Therefore, you’ll need to start exploring not just how to develop for the metaverse, but also how to meaningfully collaborate with others within it. It’s wise to start testing out platforms for ideation meetings and perhaps even prototyping. Importantly, learn how to maintain the security of the data and ideas you’re sharing with others in these spaces. 

Additionally, no matter how you approach your collaboration, communicating your plans and ideas will always be vital to success. After all, there are various stakeholders connected to your front-end development and your actions in any project can impact those of other people. Mistakes here can cause conflict and may affect clients’ and other collaborators’ buy-in to your ideas.

Therefore, you need to adopt effective strategic plan communication measures. These include taking the time to suggest regular all-hands meetings that allow everyone to stay informed about the details of the project and feel meaningfully involved. You can also provide greater clarity on the goals and details of the development project with engaging visuals rather than just text explanations.

Maintaining Your Abilities

Not getting left behind in the future of front-end also means understanding that you need to pay attention to how effectively you’re functioning. There are likely to be challenges ahead that you’ll need to navigate. As a result, paying some attention to maintaining your ability to be a technical and creative contributor is essential. This isn’t just good for your professional efficacy, but also for continuing to enjoy what you’re doing.

Start by committing to seeking out opportunities to upskill. Even if you’ve already achieved a high level of development aptitude, there are always areas for improvement and diversification. Importantly, research into in-demand features and tools can give you the data to target the most relevant abilities. Perhaps above all else, be open to following your curiosity.

Another key to maintaining your abilities is to be aware of potential health risks associated with your work and mitigate them. For instance, computer vision syndrome (CVS) is an eye condition that can arise from prolonged screen time. This is due to strain from repetitive eye movements, closeness of screens, and even exposure to blue light. Be mindful of symptoms of such conditions, like regular headaches or light sensitivity. Importantly, take preventative steps by scheduling regular screen breaks and optimizing your computer setup.

Conclusion

Understanding the future of front-end development can help you more effectively prepare for it. This can include getting to know the likely in-demand features and tools, alongside best practices for working collaboratively as the landscape changes. Nevertheless, it’s important to understand that you can’t guarantee what the future will hold. Stay on top of industry news and have conversations with your professional network. This can help you to catch the early signs of changes so you can adapt in good time.

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Community Tips

Navigating the New Era of Learning: Top Generative AI Books for Programmers

Hello, we’re Computer Science Professors Dr. Leo Porter and Dr. Daniel Zingaro. We’ve dedicated our careers to helping students succeed in programming and computer science courses. There are approaches we know are effective in teaching novices, such as learning from worked-out examples and using real-world problems that resonate with students. When we’re reading a book, we’re always thinking: will this book help people learn? Does it use what we know about learning to serve as an effective teaching aid? Can we use this with our students? Can we for once stop analyzing the book and just read for fun? (The answer to that last question is, unfortunately, ‘no,’ 😀 We can’t help it!)

With massive changes happening due to generative AI tools like ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot, you won’t be surprised that there’s a swarm of new books that use generative AI to teach programming to beginners or to enhance what programmers can do.

In this article, we wanted to cover our top four generative AI books that are being published by Manning Publications.

Special Deal! Get 35% Off all Manning Products at checkout with code bldevnat23 @ Manning.com

Introduction to Generative AI
Introduction to Generative AI: An ethical, societal, and legal overview Numa Dhamani and Maggie Engler

We know, we know: you just want to use generative AI to supercharge your programming productivity. We want that, too! But we’re at the dawn of a programming revolution here, and we strongly encourage you to take the time to understand the ethical and legal concerns wrought by generative AI. 

What happens when generative AI models ingest objectionable speech or personal data? Why are these models apt to produce hallucinations, and why should we care? Why is it so difficult to address bias in machine learning? What is the critical role that human feedback plays in LLM training, and what are the associated costs to humans? Does generative AI’s use of copyrighted work fall under fair use?

As informed end-users of generative AI, it’s up to us to answer these questions–to understand what data we might be using, how that data was produced, and the societal and ethical impacts of these tools. This book helps us toward those answers.

We appreciate that many claims in the book are supported with references that the reader can check for additional details. We also benefited from numerous powerful examples throughout the book, such as racial bias in movie sentiment scores, a ChatGPT data breach, and a famous virtual influencer.

We’d also like to emphasize that while the focus of the book is on the responsible use of generative AI, there is also a non-mathematical overview coverage of how generative AI tools work, which we suspect will be of interest to many readers. For example, you’ll learn more about many concepts you’ve probably heard about in passing, such as foundation models, fine-tuning, emergent properties of LLMs, zero-shot and few-shot learning, and chain-of-thought prompting.

Finally, we applaud the balanced discussion of the pros and cons of synthetic media, the ways that LLMs are and will be misused, the ways that professionals are using LLMs and–of course!–the coverage of the impacts on education.

Dhamani and Engler’s Introduction to Generative AI is a must-read foundational guide not only to understand how generative AI works but also to understand its broader societal implications.

Learn AI-Assisted Python Programming
Learn AI-Assisted Python Programming: With GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT Leo Porter and Daniel Zingaro

The two of us (Daniel Zingaro and Leo Porter) wrote this book because we believe that the way new programmers learn to program has changed dramatically now that generative AI is here. We’ve both taught thousands of students to program over the years and a lot of our time needed to revolve around teaching syntax, which is the ways that words and symbols are put together to create programs that run. But generative AI handles syntax extremely well (which is a good thing, because many learners find syntax boring and frustrating). So, in writing this book, our guiding question was: what are the main skills that new programmers need to learn now?

In this book, written for absolute beginners, you’ll be writing programs that work from day one, in contrast to the before times when you would have had to learn lots of syntax first. You’ll learn how to test code that comes from the generative AI to check whether it is correct, break down large problems into smaller bits that the AI can better solve, and use a debugger to trace your code very carefully to see what it’s doing. Oh, and you’ll be learning Python along the way, too, in case you need that for your resume 🙂

The Complete Obsolete Guide to Generative AI
The Complete Obsolete Guide to Generative AI
David Clinton

Why would you buy and read a book with ‘obsolete’ in the title? What the author is getting at with this irreverent title is that generative AI is moving so quickly that everything written about it will be obsolete quickly. We may as well understand the foundations of effectively interacting with these tools, which is what this book focuses on.

The book starts by explaining the background concepts you need to know when working with generative AI tools. What’s a token? What are the differences between all of those GPT models? What the heck is temperature and Top P?

You need Python experience to read this one. This isn’t a programming book, though. It’s a “let’s see what we can do with generative AI!” book. You’ll generate fiction (not very good fiction… yet?), generate book cover images, convert slides to videos, and quickly obtain summaries of boring meetings and long PDF documents. The book tours many powerful generative AI tools that you may not have been aware of–it goes way beyond what the general public is doing with ChatGPT.

The key takeaway of the book is that the best results come from pairing your domain knowledge with the explosion of content you can create with generative AI.

AI-Powered Developer: Build great software with ChatGPT and Copilot Nathan B. Crocker

OK — so you’re already a Python developer and you want to start using LLMs to rocket your productivity. How? By reading Crocker’s new book 😀

This book shows you how to use GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT, and Amazon CodeWhisperer (and when to use each). It assumes that you already know Python, and we further suggest that familiarity with building APIs in Python would be a plus.

Through its chapters, you’ll build an Information Technology Asset Management (ITAM) system, using generative AI for each step… from designing the system to writing the code, generating data, testing and managing the deployment, and helping with security. (Yes: generative AI is useful way beyond writing code for you!)

The pro of writing the book as one comprehensive example is that you see how a complete application is built and deployed with generative AI help. The cons are that it makes it difficult to jump around the book and that if you are not motivated by the chosen example then the book itself may not be as motivating as a collection of smaller examples. We need books of both types!

For us, the material on system design is of particular interest, because in our time working with generative AI, we have done the high-level design and left the low-level code to the AI. Crocker’s book shows that experienced programmers can indeed push generative AI into the design realm as well, including proposing designs, creating class diagrams for designs, and comparing and contrasting potential designs.

Whether you want to understand generative AI at a societal level, to learn programming from scratch “the new way,” to add generative AI to your programming toolbox, or to be inspired to use generative AI to … generate (sorry!) content, we’re confident that you’ll find value in one or more of these books.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike.

Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.

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Tips

Passwords are DEAD, Let’s meet Passkeys and our new State of Software Supply Chain Security Survey 

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Take the survey

Let’s get real. It’s a pain generating unique long alpha-numeric passwords and 2-factor authentications for every web or app service we use today, often ending up using the same old password (we can remember) across services and skipping 2fas if not enforced. Even if you use a password manager to generate and auto-fill your state-of-the-art strong passwords, you’re still vulnerable to attacks like Phishing, where a website looks identical to the one you are trying to access, although in reality it is a fraudulent copy -trying to use and steal your passwords as soon as they’re entered. 

Using a 2-factor authentication is handy in this situation. Still, it involves either SMS-based OTPs or authenticator apps like Authy or Google Authenticator for TOTPs, requiring cellular connectivity or installation of additional apps. Not to mention, if you lose your password manager, it will be a nightmare. 

Enter Passkey 

Passkey is a new passwordless authentication, standard by the FIDO alliance that aims to replace passwords and 2FAs, providing a faster, easier, and more secure authentication process.


Passkeys work on public-key architecture, generating public and private keys for each web or app service you use. The public key is saved on the web/mobile service server you intend to use, and the private key is kept securely on your local device, e.g. your Smartphone. Every modern smartphone processor today has a Secure Element which will generate and save these passkeys, which means not even  you can  read or directly access your private key. 

Whenever you want to authenticate on a service,- a signature generated from your saved public key will be sent to your device, and you can authenticate this signature using your private key + Biometric Authentication, e.g. your device PIN, fingerprint or Face ID. Once the signature from the public key and private key matches, you’ll be successfully logged in, meaning you don’t have to enter any password or OTPs, saving you from creeping eyes while entering your passwords in the coffee shops. The Private key never leaves your device, and you don’t need to remember everything, + it’s Phishing proof since Phishing sites won’t have your public key anyway 😉 

So, to actually hack you, the hacker will require your device + your fingerprints/FaceID, and I don’t wanna imagine that scenario anyway.

Passkey in Action

Every service you wish to use will generate a unique passkey that can be synced across all your devices using the ecosystem cloud sync, e.g. iCloud or password manager provided by your browser. You can also share your passkeys with devices and people you want. Hardware keys like Yubikeys can also be used to generate and save passkeys. If you’re on a desktop, you can still use your mobile device for passkey authentication using QR codes generated by the services while trying to log in. The QR code can then be scanned by your phone and finished with the passkey authentication. 

For businesses, it saves cost on OTP services you provide for your users, and it’s pretty easy to add support for passkeys in your web or mobile applications using already existing authentication APIs offered for all major platforms – iOS, Android, Chrome, etc.

To start with Passkeys, look at the services already supporting it at https://www.passkeys.io/who-supports-passkeys and join the Passwordless train.

Take the survey

Participate in our ongoing survey and share your thoughts to help us and our partners build a secure experience for You! 

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Tools

Algorand and Gaming: Exploring Blockchain’s Impact on the Gaming Industry

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Perhaps the last thing that springs to mind when you think about blockchain technology is gaming. But with Algorand leading the charge, the gaming sector has quietly emerged as one of the most fascinating areas for blockchain innovation. This essay will delve into the exciting realm where gaming and Algorand collide and examine how blockchain is changing the industry and opening up new options for investors, developers, and players.

Key Takeaways

  • Algorand in particular, a kind of blockchain technology, is transforming the gaming sector.
  • The way that players engage with virtual worlds is evolving as a result of decentralized ownership, NFTs, and play-to-earn models.
  • Algorand is the best blockchain for gaming apps because of its speed, security, and scalability.
  • New opportunities are opening up in the blockchain gaming industry for both gamers and creators.

Gaming on Blockchain Is Growing

Gaming on the blockchain is evolving, and it’s all about ownership, decentralization, and the fascinating realm of non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

  • Imagine becoming the sole owner of all of your own in-game items, such as characters or skins, independent from any game publishers. Blockchain enables this by allowing users to truly own their virtual assets. Fast transaction times on Algorand guarantee seamless and safe asset transfers.
  • Non-Fungible Tokens, or NFTs, have swept the gaming industry. Players may easily purchase, sell, and trade their in-game things thanks to these distinctive digital assets, which are frequently created on blockchain systems like Algorand. In the gaming world, NFTs are highly prized due to their scarcity and distinctiveness.

A Brief Introduction to Algorand

Photo by Shubham Dhage on Unsplash

Let’s first take a closer look at Algorand’s effects on the gaming sector before learning more about this cutting-edge blockchain platform. 

A high-performance, open-source blockchain technology called Algorand is intended for decentralized apps and digital assets. Because of its distinctive consensus method, which enables quick transaction processing while retaining security and decentralization, it stands out in the blockchain ecosystem.

Algorand’s Impact on Gaming Revolution

The demands of the gaming industry are perfectly met by Algorand’s blockchain capabilities, ushering in a new age of gaming experiences.

  • Scalability and speed: Algorand’s blockchain can execute thousands of transactions per second, eradicating latency and lengthy confirmation periods that can sour a gaming session. Now that gameplay and transactions are seamless, it is simpler for players to purchase, sell, and trade in-game goods.
  • Security is crucial in a world where digital assets are becoming more and more valuable. With Algorand’s robust security mechanisms in place, participants can play blockchain-based games with confidence knowing their funds are safe from fraud and hackers.
  • Low Transaction costs: When exchanging in-game cash or products, traditional gaming sometimes carries expensive transaction costs. With almost no transaction costs, Algorand’s blockchain makes play-to-earn models and NFT trading economically viable for gamers.

Play-to-Earn Changes the Rules

Photo by Shubham Dhage on Unsplash

Blockchain technology is transforming gamers into earners, and play-to-earn business models are leading this change.

  • Earning While Playing: In conventional video games, levelling up is done merely for fun. Blockchain gaming, on the other hand, introduces the idea of “play-to-earn,” where players may get real-world value by taking part in the game. The accumulation of digital assets with actual monetary worth may be done by players through in-game tasks or NFT trading.
  • Economic Inclusivity: Play-to-earn models have the potential to give gamers in areas with a dearth of traditional employment possibilities access to new sources of income. Now, players from different backgrounds may take part in the worldwide market for virtual goods.

Blockchain Gaming’s Future

Algorand and blockchain technology have opened up a world of possibilities for gaming in the future.

  • Imagine being able to easily transfer your hard-earned stuff and progress from one game to another while using your favourite in-game character. This might become a reality thanks to the interoperability capabilities of blockchain, establishing a vibrant gaming industry.
  • Virtual Worlds Outside of Gaming: The significance of blockchain goes beyond gaming. Blockchain-based virtual worlds have the potential to link individuals from all over the world in novel ways by acting as meeting places, markets, and even educational environments.

Final Thoughts

A huge step forward for both players and developers, Algorand’s incorporation into the gaming sector. With the help of blockchain technology, players can now fully own their virtual assets, participate in the play-to-earn revolution, and discover a whole new world of gaming. Be sure to keep an eye on Algorand as we enter this fascinating era of blockchain gaming. It’s a fantastic platform for both players and developers because of its speed, security, and scalability, which are transforming the gaming industry. Seize the opportunity to play in the unlimited virtual worlds of the future, where a blockchain may provide hours of entertainment.

Categories
Developer Nation Broadcast

Podcast #2 – Open Source, Navigating Engineering Career, Android and more with Lars Bergstrom

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In this podcast episode, our host Ayan interviews Lars, the Director of Engineering at Android within Google. Lars begins by discussing the differences between working in open-source organizations like Mozilla and corporate entities like Google. At Mozilla, Lars experienced radical transparency and openness, where even future plans and business strategies were shared publicly, promoting trust and early community involvement. Conversely, Google’s approach to open source centers around accommodating numerous vendors building on Android while respecting their privacy.

Lars delves into his day-to-day responsibilities, which encompass people management, project management, and long-term strategic planning for Android. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the tools and systems used by his team and occasionally participating in code-related tasks to stay connected with the development process.

The conversation also touches upon the challenges of developing for Android, with a focus on the longevity of APIs, the adaptability of libraries to various devices, and the dynamic nature of user features based on changing usage patterns, such as a transition to video-based applications and the management of a high volume of notifications.

This episode provides valuable insights into the intricacies of managing a large open-source project like Android, balancing innovation, developer needs, and evolving user experiences in the technology landscape.

You can listen on Spotify:

or watch the entire thing here:

Categories
Docker series Getting-started-guides

Essential Docker commands & Operations: Docker 103

docker guide part 3

In software development, Docker is a formidable tool that streamlines the complex process of container management. In this third instalment of our Docker series, we delve into the nuts and bolts of Docker commands and operations. Docker, the containerization platform for developers worldwide, offers a comprehensive set of commands and operations. These tools are the levers and gears that power the containerization engine, making it possible to package, deploy, and manage applications with unparalleled efficiency. Let’s embark on this journey to unravel the inner workings of Docker’s command and operation mechanisms.

Docker Commands

Docker offers a comprehensive set of commands to interact with containers, images, and other Docker components. Let’s explore some of the most commonly used ones:

1. ‘docker run’

This command creates and starts a container from a specified image. For example:

docker run -d --name my-container nginx

This command will create a detached (background) container named “my-container” based on the official Nginx image.

2. ‘docker ps’

 You can view the running container list using the ‘docker ps’ command. If you want to see all containers, including those that are stopped, add the ‘-a’ flag:

docker ps

docker ps -a

3. ‘docker stop’ and ‘docker start’

To stop a running container, use the ‘docker stop’ command followed by the container’s name or ID:

docker stop my-container

To start a stopped container, use the docker start command:

docker start my-container

4. ‘docker exec’

 Using ‘ docker exec ‘, you can execute a command within a running container. For example, to open a shell inside a container:

docker exec -it my-container /bin/bash

5. ‘docker pull’

To download an image from a container registry, use ‘docker pull’:

docker pull ubuntu

This command fetches the latest Ubuntu image from Docker Hub.

6. ‘docker build’

If you need to create a custom Docker image, you can use the ‘docker build’ command along with a Dockerfile. This file specifies the image’s configuration and build instructions. For example:

docker build -t my-custom-image

7. ‘docker rm’

To remove a stopped container, use the ‘docker rm’ command followed by the container’s name or ID:

docker rm my-container

8. ‘docker rmi’

You can also delete unused images using ‘docker rmi’:

docker rmi my-custom-image

9. ‘docker logs’

To view the logs of a container, you can use the ‘docker logs’ command:

docker logs my-container

These are just a few essential Docker commands, but many more are available. Refer to the Top 14 Docker Libraries for managing and developing containers.

Docker Operations

Now that we’ve covered some of the core Docker commands let’s dive into essential Docker operations:

1. Container Networking

Docker provides various networking options for containers. The default networking mode is called “bridge.” You can create custom networks and attach containers to them, enabling communication between containers on the same network.

2. Data Volumes

Docker containers are ephemeral, meaning data is lost when the container stops. To persist data, you can use data volumes. These volumes are mounted from the host or other containers, allowing data to survive container restarts and removals.

3. Port Mapping

By default, containers run in isolation, but you can expose container ports to the host machine using port mapping. This enables external access to services running inside containers.

4. Container Orchestration

 Docker offers orchestration tools for managing multi-container applications like Docker Compose and Docker Swarm. These tools simplify the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications.

5. Docker Registry

You can create your private Docker registry to store and share custom Docker images securely. Docker Hub is a popular public registry, but for sensitive or proprietary images, a private registry offers more control.

6. Docker Compose

Docker Compose is a tool for defining and running multi-container applications using a simple YAML file. It simplifies the process of managing complex applications with multiple interconnected containers.

7. Docker Swarm

Docker Swarm is Docker’s native orchestration tool for clustering and managing a group of Docker hosts. It provides features like load balancing and service scaling, making it suitable for large-scale applications.

8. Docker Security

Container security is a critical aspect of Docker operations. Ensure that you follow best practices, such as limiting container privileges, scanning images for vulnerabilities, and keeping containers and Docker itself up to date.

FEW CLOSING WORDS 

Docker commands and operations are fundamental aspects of container management. By mastering these commands and understanding key operations with kandi, you’ll be well-equipped to work effectively with Docker and harness its power for developing, deploying, and maintaining containerized applications. Docker’s versatility and ease of use make it a valuable tool in modern software development and deployment workflows.

You can also read Part 1 and Part 2.