What are the 5 tips of a productive developer?

1) Don’t optimize.
The impulse to optimise is usually premature. Clever solutions to squeeze performance increase complexity and undermine the end goal. Get the code working. Optimise just that code that needs it, at the end.

2) Do optimize for simplicity
You can optimise for execution speed. You can optimise for space. But the most precious thing you should optimise for is your own time. Optimise for readability, and understandability. If you have to stop and ask yourself, “how does this work?” or “why isn’t this doing what it should do?” – you have just wasted your time.

3) Much fancy academic CS is bogus
Some college based computer science methods should be used with care. Many papers describe methods which are super optimised around one case. Not all are bogus, but the benefits in many papers are often over-stated. And if you adopt the solution, you may find the benefits do not justify the costs.

4) The simplest abstractions are usually best
The real enemy in being productive is the mind of the programmer. The more “cognitive load” you place in your head, the less productive you become. So complexity is the enemy. Whenever possible, adopt simple dumb solutions. He talks a lot about iterating through arrays, rather than smarter data structures. If you can keep it all in your head, you will be faster. You can’t keep it all in your head if there is this ton of complexity.

With each new class/method added to your code, the complexity can increase not linearly but exponentially. Deleting code is therefore always better than adding code. Don’t put stuff into functions when it could be inline.

5) Don’t write generalised code
Over generalised super flexible code is often a waste of time. It’s usually harder to maintain and a source of potential bugs. Hard coding isn’t bad if your code is doing one thing.

Ref.: http://www.quora.com/What-are-the-5-tips-of-a-productive-developer

Tell Everyone to BackUp

By Leo Notenboom

In an editorial post a few years ago, I bemoaned the state of backing up. The post, entitled “Why don’t people back up?” discussed the many varied (and somewhat reasonable) reasons individuals might not be backing up their precious data.

I also discussed many scenarios in which people lose that precious data completely and forever… scenarios in which a backup solution would have protected them in some way. In fact, almost any backup solution would have helped. As I say in What backup program should I use?, “Asking what backup program to use is very much like asking, ‘What’s the best exercise program?’ The best program for exercise or backup is whichever one you’ll actually do.”

Anything is better than nothing.

The good news is that more people are backing up – or at least attempting to.

The bad news is that we still have a long way to go to get more people to back up. I know this by the number of panic-stricken emails I receive.

Article continued here

Is Extortionware the Next Big Threat?

By Stu Sjouwerman, for KnowBe4.com Security Awareness Training

TK Keanini, CTO, Lancope wrote a 2015 Predictions editorial over at SC Magazine. He said he expects more malware like CryptoLocker and CryptoWall over the next 12 months, but also something new called “extortionware”.

I wholeheartedly agree what he said: “Ransomware remains profitable, and cybercriminals are always looking for areas to grow their business. To date, victims have mainly been individuals with data from their computers or smartphones being held for ransom. But the one industry at great risk here is health care. Three factors make it a highly attractive target for ransomware expansion in 2015 – the mandate to move to electronic records, the sensitive nature of health care data, and the immaturity of the information security practices that exist in the health care industry today. This is a scary notion because we rely so heavily on the availability and accuracy of patient records. The cost of a compromise could range from an inconvenience to loss of life.”

But then he predicts something else for 2015 and that I do not agree with so much: “Extortionware is an expansion on ransomware whereby unless you pay a certain amount to the attacker, the data will be made public for all to see (or for more targeted disclosure). What if the data contains evidence of infidelity, for example? The list of possible incriminating data goes on and on, but you can see how this differs from ransomware. Much like spear phishing, this attack will be much more targeted, but attackers will yield a higher take per victim, and those victims are less likely to involve law enforcement due to the sensitive nature of the data.

Is this very likely? Article continued here.

7 Things No One Told Me About Being an Entrepreneur

Excellent Article by Kimanzi Constable @ entrepreneur.com

Many people become entrepreneurs because they want to take charge of their financial future and enjoy the freedom entrepreneurship can provide. While the allure of entrepreneurship is strong, there are some realities you should be aware of before you decide to take the leap.

I hate to say it, but entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone. If you’re not prepared, you could end up turning your dream into a nightmare. Here are seven lessons I’ve learned over the last 15 years of being an entrepreneur that no one told me about before I took the leap.

1. It’s lonely at times

2. You’ll need unwavering focus

3. The income can be sporadic

4. You have to steer clear of time-wasting activities

5. You can’t do it all alone

6. You have to test what works for yourself

7. Never get complacent

Free DJ Software Comparison

What is DJ Software?

DJ software refers to any program that aids the user in creating, mixing, filtering, or editing audio. DJ software often hosts its own playlist and library functions and can import and export audio files from other sources. It usually has digital controls for mixing, blending, remixing, copying, pasting, and removing specific audio clips. DJ software generally has methods of changing the bass, tune, pitch, and sometimes even the voice of an audio clip. While there are many commercial DJ programs available, the following are all examples of free DJ software:

Please click below to see the review/ features at Tech-FAQ website.

Free DJ Software