Its hard to deny the success of Googles Android platform. In its relatively short existence, Android has managed to overtake both Research in Motion and Apple to become the leader in the smartphone market. While the popularity of Android is easy to see with customers, its appeal to developers is another story.
- Apples iOS is the major threat to Android in the development arena. Several reports have come out recently regarding the popularity of both platforms with developers. The major problem with the reports is that there seems to be no true leader. If you take a look at two recent stories from PCWo...

A new partnership between Microsoft and Amazon Web Services was revealed last week, giving Amazons cloud customers the ability to run Microsoft Windows Server applications on their cloud infrastructure. The official announcement came last week during Microsofts 2011 Worldwide Partner Conference. The partnership is an appealing one, as it combines Microsofts solid software with Amazons reliable infrastructure.
- Jinesh Varia, a tech evangelist for Amazon Web Services, spoke of the move on the Amazon Web Services Blog: quot;Today, I am really excited to announce that AWS and Microsoft have joined together to extend Microsoft License Mobility through Software Assurance to the AWS Cloud. This is a game chan...

In this third part of a nine-part article series on working with the SELECT statement, you'll learn how to code the SELECT clause, how to name the column in a results set, and more. This article is excerpted from chapter three of the book Murach's Oracle SQL and PL/SQL, written by Joel Murach (Murach Publishing; ISBN: 9781890774509).
- How to code the SELECT clause Figure 3-3 presents an expanded syntax for the SELECT clause. The keywords shown in the first line allow you to restrict the rows that are returned by a query. Youll learn how to code them in a moment. But first, youll learn various techniques for identifying which col...

We already provided you with some of the top AJAX tutorials in the past, but there are many more that can help you implement the technology into your designs. Here are seven more AJAX tutorials that should be useful for beginners and more experienced users alike.
- 24 Best Practices for AJAX Implementations This tutorial gets listed first because its a must-read for anyone jumping into AJAX or looking to brush up their skills in the technology. Theres a host of background information on AJAX, as well as tips on how to implement it properly in your websites ...

You have no doubt encountered suggestions on how to optimize PHP scripts for speed. These suggestions are carried out from benchmarking results performed by different PHP professionals. This article will illustrate a more accurate and reliable means of doing benchmarking tests to find out if these suggestions can significantly contribute to speed.
- Suppose a test is done comparing the speed between two possible approaches in coding PHP that yields the following average results: Test 1 average execution time = 630 Microseconds Test 2 average execution time =602 Microseconds You cannot simply conclude and recommend that the Test 2 approach ...

In this database programming tutorial, you will be using the REPLACE statement and the UNIQUE clause to avoid duplicate records.
- If you develop MySQL-driven applications on a frequent basis, youll know that steering clear of record duplication issues is a must, especially when it comes to maintaining the integrity and consistency of the data manipulated behind the scenes. While the problem can be the origin of a huge varie...

Google continues to make life easier for app developers on its Android Platform. Meanwhile, Nintendo speaks out about rumors of game development for smartphones.
- If you had hopes of playing Pokémon on your smartphone running on Apples iOS or Googles Android platform in the near future, brace yourself for disappointment. Nintendo quickly shot down the recent rumors of a Pokémon game arriving this summer for iOS or Android smartphones, saying it plans to kee...

Oracle beefed up its desktop virtualization portfolio last week by releasing its Virtual Desktop Client App for Apples popular iPad tablet. The new app gives its users quick and secure access on the iPad to their virtual desktops that are managed through Oracles Sun Ray Software and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure. The apps combination of functionality and convenience makes it a must-have for iPad owners seeking complete mobility.
- Oracles Wim CoeKaerts described some of the benefits of the Virtual Desktop Client App in the companys official press release: quot;With the introduction of Oracle Virtual Desktop Client App for iPad, we continue to offer customers innovative ways to access a broad range of virtual desktop environm...

This second look at the Liskov Substitution Principle aims to teach you how to develop better, more powerful PHP applications.
- Being one of the building blocks of the SOLID principles, the Liskov Substitution Principle is a fundamental pillar of Object Oriented Design (OOD), whose formulation is aimed at solving the issues associated with poorly-designed hierarchies of classes. Even though its formal definition is somewha...

This is a beginner tutorial that will show you how to perform MySQL backups and restoration.
- This tutorial will illustrate different techniques to backup and restore MySQL databases, depending on which method you prefer to use: 1.) Using the Secure Shell - SSH or command line method 2.) Using the phpMyAdmin method 3.) Using a Cron and PHP Script for automated/periodic backups The fir...

It may have taken a while, but it appears as if Java 7 will finally become available in the near future. Obstacles such as ownership changes and other delays stood in the way of Java 7's development, but Oracle unveiled the programming language's first release candidate last week. The official launch of Java 7 is expected to take place later this month. To give interested parties a taste of what's to come, Oracle discussed some of Java 7's features during a global event last Thursday.
- Mark Reinhold, Oracle's chief architect of the Java platform group, said: quot;Probably the most significant thing is the fact that we're finally shipping it. It has been almost five years now and for various political and business reasons this release has taken some time. quot; As mentioned, o...