A constant increase is noted in the number of enterprises relying on open source technologies to curtail project overheads. Normally, the copyright holder of the open source software allows other users to study, change and distribute it without paying any licensing fees. Many developers even contribute towards making the open source software better. However, it is always important for both individual developers and enterprises to keep track of the next big things in open source. If you are gathering information about the hot open source technologies, it is a good idea to have a look at some of the best open source application development tools.5 Application Development Tools: the "Next Big Things" in Open Source 1) Data-Driven Documents (D3) As a JavaScript, D3.js is designed with features for manipulation and virtualization of data-based documents. It enables developers to virtualize the data using HTML, CSS and SVG. Initially, the developers have to bind the arbitrary data to a Document Object Model (DOM). The data-driven transformations can be subsequently applied to the document. The web programmers can D3.js to present the data in an engaging and easy-to-understand way. For instance, they can use D3.js to present an array of numbers as a HTML table or interactive SVG bar chart. Along with being fast and flexible, D3.js also supports large datasets, and the dynamic behaviors required for interaction and animation. 2) Famo.us The open source JavaScript framework allows programmers to create smooth and complex UIs for a variety of screens. Famo.us is also the only JavaScript framework that comes with a 3D layout engine fully integrated with a 3D physics animation engine. The integration enables Famo.us to render DOM, Canvas or WebGL. The programmers also have option to create Famo.us applications and sites by using free tools. Further, they can integrate the JavaScript framework seamlessly with other frameworks like jQuery, Backbone, Angular and Cordova. Famo.us can also be used for both web application and mobile app development. 3) jQuery The jQuery Foundation aims to “support the advancement of web through JavaScript”. It allows developers to use both jQuery UI and jQuery Mobile. The jQuery UI is developed on the jQuery JavaScript Library. It includes widgets, effects, themes and user interface interactions. The web developers can use jQuery UI to accomplish both simple and complex tasks. On the other hand, jQuery Mobile is a designed as a HTML5-based user interface system. It helps developers in creating responsive websites and applications that can be accessible on both desktop and mobile devices. 4) Atom The developers have described Atom as “a hackable text editor for the 21st Century”. The open source desktop editor is developed based on web technologies. But it includes a set of innovative tools that can be used to customize anything. The programmers can start using Atom immediately without putting any time or effort for configuration. At the same time, Atom also comes with the features provided by other modern text editors including code folding, snippets, file system browser, a clean preferences UI, multiple cursors and pans, and fast project-wide search and replace. 5) Brackets The open source code editor is launched by Adobe. Brackets comes with the features required by front-end developers and web designers. Adobe has designed Brackets as an optimized tool to edit code written in open source technologies like HTML, JavaScript and CSS. Brackets further allow developers to use an extension manager, with extensions for some commonly used programming languages. The programmers can further enjoy live HTML development and efficient JavaScript debugging. You must experiment with the latest open source application development tools to save both time and effort. But while evaluating the next best things in open source, you must keep in mind the specific requirements of your projects. You must compare different open source tools to complete the project within the shortest time frame. To get maximum benefits of Open-source, you may consider hiring services of a WordPress development company. We provide Wordpress website development services. If you would like to discuss with a expert WordPress developers from our team, please get in touch with us at Mindfire Solutions.
In August, Parse, a company acquired by Facebook last year, released the Parse PHP SDK. It is the first SDK released by Parse for any server-side scripting language. The SDK enables developers to create PHP scripts and websites within a shorter span of time. The PHP developers can use the SDK provided by Parse to accomplish a wide range of tasks including tracking analytics, sending push notifications, storing data and managing users. Further, they can accomplish these important tasks without writing longer lines of code. The code can be integrated seamlessly with both new and existing PHP applications. According to official Parse Blog, “This is our first SDK for a server-side language, and the first to be truly open-source. PHP is an incredibly popular programming language and has consistently been in the top 10 on the TIOBE index for the past 15 years. Some metrics report that it is still serving the vast majority of websites on the internet. Until now, if you wanted to access Parse from PHP, the REST API was the only option. A few Parse API wrapper libraries have been released by third parties on GitHub. While we think this is awesome, many developers requested better PHP support and we decided to build a first-party SDK.” Important Facts about Parse PHP SDK Each Beginner Needs to Know Open Source Each programmer wants to adopt a new technology without increasing the project overheads. Parse has released the source of PHP SDK as open source. So the Parse PHP SDK can be used by PHP developers without paying any licensing fees. Further, they can avail the assistance of other users, and contribute to improve the open source SDK. Requires Minimum Configuration Despite allowing PHP developers to accomplish several complex tasks without writing lengthy code, the Parse PHP SDK does not require any robust configuration. Parse has designed the SDK to help PHP developers to create large and complex application rapidly with minimum configuration. The programmers can simply download the SDK, and use it quickly to build PHP applications on Parse. Manages Entire Backend While creating PHP applications on Parse, the programmers have option to avail the advantages of Parse Cloud. Parse Cloud is designed with features to efficiently handle the entire backend of the application. So the programmers are not required to focus on scalability, performance and databases. Thus, they have more time to focus on the features and functionality of the web application to make it deliver richer user experience. Allows Saving Data Flexibly Parse has designed the PHP SDK with features to make it easier for developers to work with native objects without writing longer lines of code. They can simply use the ParseObject to store a variety of data on Parse. The individual ParseObject further contains key-value pairs of JSON-compatible data. As the data is schemaless, the keys for each ParseObject need not be specified in advance. So it becomes easier for PHP programmers to save the data objects to the cloud flexibly through the SDK. Allows Deployment of Multiple Versions of the Same Application While creating PHP applications on Parse, the developers have option to create an App for individual applications. They can further apply the distinct application id and REST API key of the App to their web application. Thus, they can accommodate multiple Apps in a single account on Parse. The option helps them in deploying different versions of the same application to optimize both production and testing. On the whole, Parse PHP SDK is designed by keeping in mind the latest trends in web application development. The programmers can use it to rapidly create complex application without writing lengthy code and requiring robust configurations. Further, the open source SDK allows developers to focus on making the application deliver richer user experience by handling the entire backend. This would help you leverage the benefits of PHP certified professionals when hiring services of a PHP web development company India. We provide PHP application development services. To hire PHP developers India from us, please reach out to us at Mindfire Solutions.
Technology has developed in leaps and bounds in the recent years. Mobile development, too, has altered a lot since the days of its inception. With more number of technologies being introduced, the room for committing errors has increased as well. Developing a mobile application is no child’s play. There are several factors that need to be checked for its success. One error can ruin the application or even the entire brand. An app is meant for the users and it is important to ensure good user experience. Although developers check their products for finding out mistakes but there are certain common errors that are committed by several of them.Here’s a list of 7 mistakes that the developers need to avoid while developing a mobile application: 1. Mobile apps are a competitive business where the developers might be required to build for Google Play as well as Apple App Store. It is always advisable to build them on a single platform instead of the multiple ones. This also aids in achieving minimum viable product from the app store quickly. If the app is developed on two platforms and require changes, then the modifications will have to be done on both the platforms. This will lead to additional costing and time. It is better, however, to finalize the app on iOS before porting it to Android. 2. Keep two things in mind before you develop the application – consumers as well as marketing. Thus, it is significant to decide the category in which you want to introduce the app. With so much competition in this market, it is essential that your product gets noticed. 3. User experience is another criterion to keep in mind while dealing with mobile apps. The mobile users just do not put up with applications that offer bad user experience. You cannot afford to compromise this whilst developing an app for the handheld devices. 4. Once you have selected a platform to launch your application it is essential that you have a set of features for the MVP. In the first version, you would like to see how the users are responding to the app. If you already own a good website do not plan to condense it into a mobile format. Think afresh and develop a separate plan solely focused on the mobile user experience. Do not rush during the development process and launch a product that has bugs. Instead of opting for a rocky start, go slow with your process and launch an app that is 100% bug free. Mobile users are more than often quite unforgiving when it comes to mistakes. 5. Do not commit the error of launching a mobile application without putting it on the analytics. A tracking tool like, Flurry, can be used to decide on issues, such as, content, design and user experience. 6. It is vital to market the product before submitting them. Take a look at the marketing strategies of some of the biggest brands in the mobile world. All of them keep advertising about their app development right from the planning stage. This is an important marketing strategy to reach out to the users. Release images and required tidbits for the users to relate. 7. Many of the most popular apps are for free. Hence, monetization is one thing about which you will have to plan carefully from the very beginning. A number of companies mismanage their projects by not hiring professionals. This is a very wrong step as the developers are the key factors in developing an app. To ensure that it can be launched successfully, the best option is to indulge in proper market research, plan effective monetization strategy, and ensure there is suitable collaboration between designers and developers. You can hire developers from top mobile app development companies in India who can help you build mobile apps within allocated budgets and time schedules. We provide mobile app development services. If you would like to hire mobile app developers from us, we would be glad to assist you at Mindfire Solutions.
Mobile apps can certainly help many people to take care of their health & wellness, a healthier lifestyle, and also gives access to valuable information whenever they require it. These power tools are now being embraced almost as soon as they are built. As per industry reports, five hundred million smartphone consumers around the world will use at least one healthcare app by 2015, and 50% of the over 3.4 billion smartphone & tablet consumers are going to have installed moibile health apps by 2018. The government some time ago established a process of connecting medical center (and provider) reimbursement for the facilities to patient satisfaction ratings provided by HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems). Though there's significant discussion on the relationship regarding patient satisfaction with the quality of care, the system is not going away soon - at least for some time.One of the essential drawback within the system according to David Lee Scher, MD - Owner & Director of DLS Healthcare Consulting, could make the system fail, would be the significant delay in delivering the results to the institutions. The delay goes in the order for ten months. Additionally, surveys might be provided to patients around 6 weeks once discharge. Could anyone recall exactly what his or her ER stay was like earlier on a three month hospitalization 6 weeks later when going home? There are certain apps currently available that enable patients to carry out the survey immediately. This might lead to a lot more secure data which providers could act upon much faster, that could eventually enhance satisfaction quicker. CMS isn't currently permit such type of technology. One particular issue is usually that the patients may be afraid of retribution while in the hospitalization for the negative reviews. David, further stated that this isn't a common issue in which people might expect that the criticisms might end up in positive modifications which providers ethics would overcome pride. Nowadays, there are several patient knowledge tools available to choose from. Many are offered like a service by the pharma & medical device organizations. Some others are offered by many very good 3rd party commercial agencies. But the use of such apps is usually very low. Providers are, generally, aren't offering digital information to the patients. The mandate for the use of patient portals is just about 10% of hospitalized Medicare patients & 5% of outpatients. Additionally, the necessity for the exchange of data is quite unknown. An investment towards patient education tools will probably lead to enhanced risk management, reducing lawsuits, develop patient adherence to the medications & instructions and enable for the caregivers to get access to the information. Venture capitalists are usually made investments in the technologies which enable medical experiences with smartphones. The industry for this type of interactions has emerged like a natural development on the use of mobile technologies within the retail & financial fields along with Congressional desire for growing telehealth services. As illustrated in the Merrit Howkins study about physician appointment wait times, insufficient access to the care, effect from in-person visits to caregivers, logistical issues for remote patients and also insufficient availablily of cost-effective care are the aspects which makes this particular technology interesting. Although many mobile health tools in use nowadays are reference apps for the healthcare providers and for the patients, there are methods through which other kinds of mobile technologies could be extremely helpful. To get maximum benefits of mHealth, you may consider hiring services of a mobile health app development company. We provide Medical Software Development services. To outsource mhealth development needs of your organization, please get in touch with us at Mindfire Solutions.
Internet, today, is a fast growing world where there is a continuous need for new applications. The customers want better and faster applications than their competitors. Whether the app is meant for the web or the mobile, customers do not want to work with defective products. What they need is a properly functioning application that will work smoothly to generate the maximum benefits. Hence, it is imperative to fix all the errors before releasing an app. If the product released by you keeps disrupting the users, that would get a bad name for the company. Hence testing is a process which the developers cannot skip at all. But which factors are considered most effective for a successful testing? Here’s a list of factors that the developers must consider to ensure that the testing process is successful: Objective: What is the aim of the application? Unless you answer this question it is impossible to test whether that app will be effective. It does not matter if the developers are developing a web or mobile application; there should be a bunch of objectives in front of the team so that they are given priority. Your product might not be perfect but it should meet the requirements of the intended customer. Analysis: It is essential to analyze the test results in details. The need is to find the main reason behind the success or failure of the app. If you know the thing thoroughly it will also help to deal with other problems that might arise during the testing process. As a tester it will also assist in increasing knowledge base. Perfection: This is not possible while developing apps. But what the developers might endeavour for is a trouble free and user friendly product. Break It Up: Divide the apps in modules, sub modules and sub-sub modules. Having independent test cases for each of them will also prove useful. This process makes testing easier. Make a matrix sheet with the necessary summary linked to the test cases. Here you can include the status of each of the test cases and refer to them every time you need by merely glancing through the sheet. Points to include in the Test Care summary: Firstly, all the basic points should be covered that are required for developing the app or its objective. Include Data transparency and ways to deal with unexpected errors. Tracking the Results: Once executing the test results is in progress, it will generate a number of issues and bugs which are to be taken care of. During this stage it is essential to keep, organize and distribute all the information to the appropriate teams. You also need to keep management informed about the way your testing is progressing. It is significant that you keep a track about the results and progress of the apps. Create a Separate Environment: To ensure that the new product will work fine when the codes are moved to and fro you need to create a separate web server, application server and a database server. The existing computers might not be used to create a separate test environment. It is also crucial to test the new versions of the source codes in order to properly identify them. Usability Testing: This process is vital as it will decide the user experience. You have done your bit by developing the app. But is that enough? The answer is definitely negative. Checking the usability is unavoidable. Whether it is a web application or a mobile one, it is required that you check whether the product will be working fine with the users. Are there any jerks or is the navigation okay? Whilst you are busy testing your apps, it would beneficial to have a work routine prepared. This way you will know the priorities and carry out the testing procedure accordingly. This ensures that time is saved and the right steps are taken to guarantee the app’s performance. To get maximum benefits of testing, you may consider hiring services of a Agile software testing company. We provide QA and testing services. To hire software QA analyst from us, please reach out to us at Mindfire Solutions.
HP has renamed the QuickTest Professional (QTP) as the Unified Functional Testing (UFT) software. UFT is used widely by organizations across the world for enterprise quality assurance. It also comes with a graphical user interface (GUI) that makes it easier for users to automate the regression and functional tests for both software applications and environments. So a testing professional can learn QTP to enhance his employment and career prospects. A software testing professional can even reap a number of benefits by obtaining HP-QTP certification.HP conducts the certification exam called HP0-M4 in collaboration with Pearson VUE. The certification exam consists of 72 questions. The professional has to answer the questions within 105 minutes, and obtain a passing percentage of 75%. The certification exam is intended for all professionals who implement test automation by creating and running test, and analyzing the test results. So each tester has to invest both time and efforts to obtain the HP--QTP certification. However, the certification will definitely enhance his professional competence and career prospects. Benefits of HP-QTP Certification for Individual Testers Recognition of Professional Competence: The QTP certification is directly conducted by HP in collaboration with Pearson VUE. By awarding the certification, HP formally recognizes the individual’s proficiency in Unified Functional Testing software. Thus, the certification represents the professional’s in-depth knowledge, skills and professional competence. Many professionals try to clear the HP0-M4 exam to impress prospective employers by through enhanced professional competence. Earn Respect: As a hugely popular test automation suite, HP QTP is used widely by many organizations and testers. So there are a large number of software testing professionals who are familiar with QTP. But the number of HP-QTP certified professionals is too small. So the professional certification earns respect and prestige for the certified QA engineers. The certification also provides competitive advantage to the certification-holders in the same field. Better Employment Prospects: A constant increase is being noted in the number of organizations automating their software testing efforts. So the demand for HP UFT software increases is on the rise. But each company wants to hire testing professionals who hold HP-QTP certification. Many companies even prefer hiring HP-QTP certified testers during employee recruitment. There are also some large and reputable companies that have made HP-QTP certification a pre-requirement for employment. Helpful during Appraisal: Like beginners, the experienced software testing professionals can also avail competitive advantage by obtaining HP-QTP certification. The prestigious certification, along with their professional experience and expertise, will help them in getting higher rating during performance appraisal. The certification will make it easier for them to get promotion and higher remuneration. They can even use the certification to effectively switch to large and reputable organizations. Special Benefit for Consultants: The HP-QTP certification can also be valuable for freelance professionals and consultants. As these professionals have to impress clients to get the project, the certification will provide competitive advantage. The QTP certification is granted directly by HP who has also developed the UFT software. So the QTP certification makes it easier for freelance professional and consultants to establish a benchmark. For instance, when a consultancy firm deploys only QTP-certified testers, it will be easier for prove its professional competence and impress clients. HP further allows software testing professionals to obtain two distinct certifications, i.e., Functional Testing 11.x and Advance Scripting using QuickTest Professional 11. Like individual software QA engineers, the HP-QTP certification is also valuable for organizations. The certified professional will help the organization in hiring the right QA engineers, and train the existing employees. Further, he will help the employer in optimize automation testing processes by establishing a professional standard. Therefore, most organizations, nowadays, prefer hiring testers with HP-QTP certification. To get maximum benefits of testing, you may consider hiring services of a custom QTP testing company. We provide QTP automation services. If you would like to get your application tested by our certified software testing experts, please contact us at Mindfire Solutions.
jRebel is a Java development tool that was formerly known as JavaRebel. This tool removes the need to redeploy the code as it will immediately change the codes and you need not restart the system. The tool is especially helpful while executing a tricky logic which you want to get right. For instance, if you want to add an approval to your structure, with the help of jRebel you can include the rules in fields, one after the other. You can keep working on the errors until the structure has been perfected. In addition if you have to add more fields to the controller or manager, you can do that too without any difficulties. jRebel will save all the application states. This factor ensures that it does not matter how you are arriving at the page you want to alter. Things Developers Should Know About jRebel jRebel uses the JVM, a Java agent plugin, which is a command for line option. It is easily downloadable from Java. This tool utilizes it for installation. However, do not misinterpret jRebel as an IDE plugin. Although there are certain modifications that the developers can carry out with it for a better experience but jRebel can work equally efficiently with a vanilla Java compiler and text editor. It would also be helpful for the developers to know that this is not a framework either. An application is not dependent on it. Developers can remove it anytime they want and continue with their work without any hindrance. Finally, there is no need to make any alterations to JVM while developing with this tool. It is compatible with all the major JVM implementations. How It Works Developers will have to integrate the tool with applications servers and JVM at the class loader level. However, instead of creating of new ones, it will extend the existing ones so that they can manage the reloaded classes. Once a class is loaded, the tool searches for an equivalent .class file from the classpath and other places that are mentioned in the rebel.xmlconfiguration file. When it finds the file it is searching for, the instruments will match it with the found.class file. The .class file is monitored as the changes are made in the loaded class. The updates are produced via extended class loader to the application. If mention in rebel.xml, it can also scrutinize .class files. The developers can especially benefit from the fact that jRebel keeps the existing instances of the class while loading updates to it. This not only enables the application to keep running but it also does not go for a rerun when a new field is introduced. If the programmers are using this tool then debugging gets a better solution. While chasing a bug, you research on what is happening, make changes and implement them and the effects will be shown immediately. Next time when such problems arise, the new code will break in directly once it has completed assembling the code. Benefits of Using jRebel There are various reasons why jRebel is used and the developers should be aware of it in order to apply this tool properly. This can be used to test and try the features of a framework together. Short codes to test the functionality of a new system can be included and the results will show immediately. The developers can also make use of the library to look for codes and install the same in the applications. Even in situations when owing to performance issues or diverse networks, the system cannot be stimulated, jRebel enables system deployment on the developer’s computer. In addition to these, there are no restarts or intervention from this tool. This provides the developers with more chances and time to check if all is going well. They also have more time to improve things. To ensure scalability, performance and robustness, jRebel is the most convenient Java development tool available presently. To get maximum benefits of Java development, you may consider hiring services of a Java application development company. We provide Java web development services. For all your Java development requirements, please get in touch with Mindfire Solutions.
