Dr. Dobb's Articles

Working with Dropbox

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 06:48:00 -0500

Dropbox client applets allow only basic functionality for interacting with the file storage service. To get the full breadth of capabilities, you'll need to use their SDK and write your own code

Project of the Month: TestNG

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 06:31:00 -0500

Not every coder uses xUnit frameworks for testing. Many prefer TestNG, which gets around xUnit limitations, supports testing at multiple levels (unit, functional, integration, end-to-end), and greatly facilitates data-driven tests.

The Need to Rewrite Established Algorithms

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:01:00 -0500

Parallel architectures, like other hardware advances before them, require us to rewrite algorithms and data structures — especially the old standbys that have served us well

Rebuilding the Tower of Hanoi

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:37:00 -0500

Sometimes seemingly serial computations may be coded with parallel algorithms if you can figure out how to present the final results in the proper order.

Using Bluetooth

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:33:00 -0500

Trying to communicate with a remote device with no other familiar protocol? Bluetooth provides an easy answer with well-documented specs and straightforward programming APIs.

Windows 8 and Metro: The World Without Browser Plug-ins

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:36:00 -0500

Abandoning plug-ins will make browsers better and coding easier

Welcome to the Parallel Jungle!

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 08:57:00 -0500

Herb Sutter dives into the repercussions of parallel's reach from mobile devices, to the desktop, to clusters, and — at the highest level of granularity — to the cloud. This welter of different parallel implementations presents significant challenges for programming. The free lunch of sequential programming is well and truly over.

Low-Cost, Low-Power Servers Begin Their Ascent

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:55:00 -0500

As the cloud is quickly demonstrating, small, seemingly underpowered servers are quite enough for most development tasks. Buying one of these low-cost, low-power units makes clear how much developer-friendlier they are than datacenter solutions

Developer's Reading List

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:18:00 -0500

The latest books off the press cover code readability, Java performance, hunting for and prying open security defects, game testing, architecture, and even OpenVMS.

Low-Power ARM-Based Build Server Delivers

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:24:05 -0500

Nvidia's low-power, low-cost, ARM-based Trim-Slice is easy to set up and run, and it delivers as a build server.

Booting an Intel Architecture System, Part II: Advanced Initialization

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 08:52:00 -0500

Once the processor is running and memory has been initialized, timers and devices must be started up and a memory map laid out. Only then, can the OS be loaded.

Linked Lists Are, Like, So Last Century

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 07:23:00 -0500

Give up your sequential linked lists in favor of tree structures for all of your unordered data when processing that data in parallel.

Language of the Month: JRuby

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 06:29:00 -0500

Ahead-of-time compilation, metaprogramming Java objects, real threads, and the ability to call Java directly from Ruby code are all ways in which JRuby improves on the standard Ruby distribution.

It's the User

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 02:33:00 -0500

Historically speaking, the most profound change in the way we build software today is in how we care for the user.

The Rise and Fall of Programming Languages in 2011

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:45:00 -0500

As mobile devices become a major development platform, scripting languages are beginning to fall out of favor.

Jolt Awards: Coding Tools

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 10:30:00 -0500

Going to the very heart of the developer's toolbox, we select four outstanding tools.

Destructors Considered Harmful

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 06:44:00 -0500

Allocating dynamic resources may seem hazardous — but freeing them is the real hazard.

Jolt Calendar

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 06:52:00 -0500

Categories, schedule, and submission details for 2012 Jolt Awards

IDEs Are Dead. Long Live the IDE!

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 11:45:00 -0500

How will developers' favorite working environments evolve in a cloud-based, post-PC world?

The Best of 2011

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 08:17:00 -0500

The most popular articles of last year from Dr. Dobb's, plus some additional pieces picked out for your thoughtful consideration by our staff

Cross-Platform C/C++ Development with Eclipse CDT

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 06:49:00 -0500

Using Eclipse as a universal C++ IDE for Linux and Windows requires navigating a few issues in setup and functionality. Here's how.

Martin Odersky on Scala

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 11:36:00 -0500

Dr Dobb's talks with Martin Odersky, designer of the Scala Language, about the latest developments and directions in this increasingly popular language.

Dr. Dobb's Excellence in Programming Award

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 10:45:00 -0500

Honoring individuals for contributions to the advancement of software development

Efficient Use of Lambda Expressions and std::function

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 08:51:00 -0500

Functors and std:function implementations vary widely between libraries. C++11's lambdas make them more efficient.

Booting an Intel Architecture System, Part I: Early Initialization

Mon, 26 Dec 2011 03:51:00 -0500

The boot sequence today is far more complex than it was even a decade ago. Here's a detailed, low-level, step-by-step walkthrough of the boot up.