Visual Studio 2015 CTP 6 and Team Foundation Server 2015 CTP Released

Keeping with the quick cadence of releases, I’m happy to share Visual Studio 2015 CTP 6. Additionally, we are also announcing the release of Team Foundation Server 2015 CTP. You can download both these releases from the download center or from MSDN subscriber downloads. Don’t want to wait? Save time and try out this latest CTP on one of the publicVMs hosted on Azure. Before you head off to try out the bits, I’d like to go over a few highlights from both of these releases, and to remind you to also check out Brian Harry’s blog post, Team Foundation Server 2015 CTP Release Notes, and Visual Studio 2015 CTP 6 Release Notes for more details.

Visual Studio 2015 CTP 6

First things first: after we shipped CTP 5 we saw a notable increase in “frowns” sent through Send-a-Smile as well as feedback from some of our top customers, and we quickly saw that CTP 5 had a handful of issues that made it pretty painful to use including an issue with PDB file locking that affected a lot of customers.

It’s true that for each CTP, we want to quickly share more new features so you can tell us what works and what doesn’t. Finding the right balance among all the factors (ship velocity, quality, and team capacity, to name a few) is energizing, to put it mildly. That said, we expect our CTPs to meet a “reasonable use” quality bar and, based on your feedback, CTP 5 didn’t achieve that bar.

I want to thank everyone who tried CTP 5 and gave us feedback. With CTP 6 we have addressed almost all the issues you’ve reported, and you should see a more stable release.

We’ve also added a lot of capabilities to the release (detailed in the Visual Studio 2015 CTP6 release notes), and I’ll call out a few of the more interesting ones here.

Single Sign in. One of the pieces of customer feedback we get consistently is that developers – particularly developers who use multiple Microsoft services such as Azure, the Windows Store, MSDN Subscriptions, and Visual Studio Online together – have to sign in many times in several places. We continue to work at addressing the problem. With CTP 6, we’ve taken the next step. Until now, each service you used while developing your application required a separate sign in, be it to a cloud backend data store, source code enlistment, or online store publishing dashboard. Each of these services not only required a separate sign in but also managed their individual sign in user state separately. With CTP 6, once you sign into the first cloud service, we will automatically sign you into the next one, which can significantly reduce the number of authentication prompts you will see.

ASP.NET Improvements. We continue to refine ASP.NET 5. With this release you’ll see performance improvements in the ASP.NET runtime as well as discoverability improvements to the New Web Project dialog, updates to IntelliSense for JSON configuration files, and updates to make package restore for bower, NPM, and NuGet simpler. To learn more about these updates check out this detailed blog post on ASP.NET updates.

Xamarin Integration Improvements. As of this CTP, Xamarin developers using Visual Studio can now reference, build, and debug C++ library projects from their Android projects directly by leveraging the Android targeting experience introduced by Visual C++. Check out the VC++ blog post for an upcoming post soon that will share details on how to develop Xamarin Android Native apps. Additionally, you can now directly install Xamarin during the Visual Studio installation process by selecting it from the list of 3rd party dependencies.

Visual Studio Tools for Apache Cordova. Over the last few releases, we listened to your feedback and broadened the number of devices you can debug to: Android 4.4, Android 4.3 and earlier with jsHybugger, iOS 6, 7, and 8, and Windows Store 8.1. With CTP6, we are broadening our debugging support further. You can now debug your Apache Cordova apps that target Windows Phone 8.1:

You can set breakpoints, inspect variables, use the console, and perform other debugging tasks on your Windows Phone 8.1 emulator or attached device. Learn more about the Visual Studio Tools for Apache Cordova.

CodeLens. With CodeLens, you can find out more about your code while staying focused on your work in the editor. In this CTP, you can now see the history of your C++, SQL, or JavaScript files versioned in Git repositories by using CodeLens file-level indicators. When working with source control in Git and work items in TFS, you can also can get information about the work items associated with C++, SQL, or JavaScript files by using CodeLens file-level work items indicators.

Architecture Tools. In previous releases you told us that Code Maps were not reactive enough, were sometimes complex to use, and did not always produce a useful result. So, with this release, we've improved the tool responsiveness, simplified the Architecture menu, and reduced clutter through node filtering (which complements the link filtering we provided in VS 2015 Preview). We also made the initial maps of a solution far more useful by grouping nodes based on the solution folders, and by styling project/assembly nodes to indicate their type. Check out this blog post to learn about all the improvements to Code Maps in this CTP.

NuGet. NuGet receives a major face-lift in this release to help make it clearer how to search for the packages you need. This interface improvement also makes it easier to update and manage the versions of the packages you already have installed. We've also implemented a new v3 API with blazing fast search capabilities. Make sure you grab the NuGet extension from the ‘Extensions and Updates’ menu and check out the updates! Check out blog.nuget.org for more details.

XAML UI Debugging. Visual Studio has had a DOM inspector for HTML apps for several releases, and it’s a powerful tool for quickly finding and tweaking UI – it’s also one many customers asked us to create for XAML. Enter the Live Visual Tree and Live Property Explorer, which represent the first of the new UI Debugging tools for XAML, and are now available to try with your WPF projects. These tools let you inspect the visual tree of your application during a debug session. They also let you review and modify DependencyProperty objects on the elements in the tree. Read the post on new UI Debugging Tools for XAML to learn more.

These UI Debugging tools appear when you start debugging a WPF desktop application. Right now, this feature doesn't currently support Windows Store apps, but we are working hard to bring this to you soon.

.NET Debugging. CTP 6 improves .NET debugging in several ways. To start, we've made debugging .NET applications significantly faster when calling third party libraries that throw a large number of internal exceptions. For more details seePerformance Improvement When Debugging .NET Code With Visual Studio 2015. We've also improved Edit & Continue, with support for new edit operations including adding and modifying post-2005 language features (such as iterators and async/await) and adding nested and top-level types (such as delegates, enums, and interfaces). To learn more check out theC# blog post on Edit and Continue and VB blog post on Edit and Continue.

The Make Object ID command from previous versions of Visual Studio is back in Visual Studio 2015 CTP6. If you hadn't heard, Object IDs let you tag an object instance and track it over the remainder of your debugging session even if you switch to a different context where there are no variables in scope referring to that instance. This lets you observe how a particular object's state may change over its lifetime. Now you can use the familiar $id syntax used with other debugger variables to refer back to those objects in the Watch and Immediate windows and conditional breakpoints.

Lastly, we've released the new Exception Settings tool window which provides an easy way to configure the debugger’s exception settings. You can access this new window from the Debug menu under Debug -> Windows -> Exception Settings. Read more about how to use the Exception Settings Tool Window.

Visual Studio Emulator for Android. We've updated with the Visual Studio Emulator for Android with new features, including Lollipop (API Level 21) debug targets. We've added OpenGL ES support, multi-touch input simulation, and advanced camera simulation. Read this post on the new features in Visual Studio Emulator for Android to learn more.

Team Foundation Server 2015 CTP

We also shipped TFS 2015 CTP today, but some of the changes may not be readily apparent because they’re about licensing and which capabilities are available in which TFS edition. In particular, we've made more features available with a “Basic” five- or fewer-member license, including web-based text execution, agile portfolio management, work item chart authoring, and team rooms.

Of course, we've also included capabilities you can see. We've improved merge performance especially for large repos, for example. And you can also now easily view the history of changes to a file by right clicking on any folder in Solution Explorer. We added JSON REST APIs to enable you to easily create and query work items, queue a build, or access source code from any device, platform, or technology stack, including Windows, Android, iOS, Node.js. And you can also use service hooks to get an instant notification for events in Team Foundation Server, directly in your app or service.

To learn more about these and all other improvements check out Brian Harry’s blog post and the Team Foundation Server 2015 CTP Release Notes.

As always, please give us your feedback, suggestions, thoughts, and ideas on our UserVoice site, through the in-productSend-a-Smile and Send-a-Frown UI, or file a bug through the Visual Studio Connect site.

Courtesy:- MSDN

PHP vs JavaScript (Node.js): Which Is Better And Why!

The battle between PHP and JavaScript can be re-imagined as a battle between two old good friends who parted ways due to some differences. The battle is frequent between the two as one shows interest in the other one's domain, unintentionally though. Once upon a time PHP and JavaScript were the rulers of the Internet world and then Node.js was introduced, much to PHP's dislike.

PHP and JavaScript are always fighting with each other to gain the better position in a developer's mind. In older days, the partnership was good enough as JavaScript used to look after small details of the browser and PHP used to manage the server-side tasks. But then JavaScript was planned to be run on the server too, which means need of PHP to build next-generation server stacks was falling down. Then Node.js changed the whole scenario and it was JavaScript everywhere around.

Among developers, some are happy with the simplicity of JavaScript and Node.js, while some others like the deep code base and stability of PHP. So the debate is always on which is better. Here is a comparison between the two which shows how PHP and Node.js benefit developers in their own ways:

1. PHP mixes code with content while Node separates the two: 

You might be putting content on your website and you want that a branch is added to the process. In this way it looks prettier, depending on some certain parameters in the URL. You might be also wanting to mix in text and data from a database. If PHP is there, with the help of PHP tags you can write code within seconds. As everything is template there is no need of an external one. No extra file is also required and neither elaborate architectures.

With Node, mixing code with content is a big No-No. Yes it's definitely fun to mix code with HTML initially but when there is too much logic in your code base you will not enjoy it anymore. Programmers prefer to add structure and separate the cosmetic layer from the logical one.

2. PHP has deep code base while new code in Node has improved features: 

PHP code is prevalent across the Web space. The most popular platforms for building websites like WordPress, Drupal and Joomla are written in PHP. The platforms are open source and they have plug-ins too. So PHP code has a deep base, you can download and modify as per individual needs.

But PHP code is not updated for years now. Node.js plug-ins are modern with all latest architectural approaches. It's for those programmers who love modern Web apps.

3. Simple PHP vs complex Node: 

PHP has just a few variables and some basic functions. It has a thin layer which only moves data from port 80 to the database and so on. JavaScript is more complex with a modern syntax and useful features like closures. JavaScript can be customised easily.

4. PHP doesn't need client apps while Node has thinner service calls: 

Yes it's better to use the same language in the browser and on the server but what will happen if the browser doesn't need any language at all? PHP is optimsed in such a way that can create pure HTML pages. But there are not loads of HTML markups and if someone tries to create a browser-side Web app, then Node is a gift. Node.js is optimised to deliver data through Web services. If the app is complex and full of data, then its foundation is also efficient.

5. PHP loves SQL while Node loves JSON: 

PHP has been built to co-exist with MySQL and its variants like MariaDB. The vast SQL world has no boundaries. They are mostly stable with well-developed code and an SQL database. All the power is integrated into a PHP project. But Node.js has libraries which have access to SQL too. Node.js mainly speaks JSON for communicating with latest NoSQL databases. Well JSON libraries can also be accessed for PHP stack, but it's simpler to use with JavaScript.

6. PHP vs Node in speed of coding: 

Some developers think that PHP coding for Web apps is faster as it doesn't require compilers, deployment, JAR files and pre-processors. It's all about the editor and PHP files in a directory. Though coding with JavaScript is tougher, but if it's done then Node.js just flies off. It has a callback mechanism which is extremely useful.

Courtesy: Java World 

8 Worst Phishing Scams Of All Time!

Remember, you are never protected from online scams which keep flooding your message and email inboxes. If you are thinking that you have seen enough and the circumstances cannot get worse now, you are absolutely mistaken as a fresh incident can take place any time. Here are the worst phishing scams which are also the most famous ones:

1. Funeral notification phishing scam: 

The most basic fears of people are the highest points of exploitation among scammers. Sudden notifications arrive that one of your loved ones is no more. Such messages come from funeral homes and the recipient is notified that the funeral will take place soon. A link is provided too to view the invitation and more information about the ceremony.

2. Court notice: 

Scammers send phishing emails which claim to be coming from a law firm and such emails ask you to appear in court and you have to click on a link to view a copy of the court notice. As soon as you click on the link, you are downloading and installing malware.

3. Wells Fargo and Bank of America Scam: 

This scam was a brainchild of Kenneth Joseph Lucas, Nichole Michelle Merzi, and Jonathan Preston Clark and it was a multi-million-dollar money laundering scheme which required help of Egyptian syndicate members. It's one of the biggest phishing scams in history and it was busted by FBI.

4. PayPal Scam: 

PayPal spam which requested for confirmation or validation on your part and it was followed by a link to the spoofed site. This is a notorious spam email and PayPal has tried hard to stop it from spreading further. But it's still there. The mail used to contain Mimail worm in early days.

5. Ebola Virus as Bait: 

When Ebola virus grew popular in 2014, the US-CERT issued a warning against email and cyber campaigns which used the virus outbreak as a theme too.

6. eBay troubles: 

eBay faced a loss of 145 million credentials last year. Users were sent an email by the company which asked to click them on a link and it made the customers easy targets.

7. Commercial Web Bank Scam: 

It offers an SSL certificate update. The email claims that the update will expire in five days if not installed immediately. The emails have news item version and downloadable link version. It uses all the phishing innovations.

8. Nude celebrity photos scam: 

The nude pictures of Hollywood celebrities including Jennifer Lawrence exposed a serious bug in iCloud. When the news about the bug spread, phishers started exploiting it furthermore. 



Courtesy:- EFYTIMES News Network

Becoming Great Remote Developer

Although working with distributed team members is gaining traction at companies, it is not easy to work from remote location. Stephane Kasriel, SVP, Product & Engineering at Elance-oDesk, explained best practices for being a successful remote developer in his blog. He mentions that the key is to have discipline in work.

Working remotely requires special discipline and unique habits. Learn them to really contribute to the project.

Ryan Chartrand, CEO of X-Team says that having trust in all team members is most important while working remotely, in his blog.

Contribute trust every day- remote teams, however, live and die by their trust. Every day you should be focused on asking yourself:

“How can I contribute trust to my team today?”

What all of these secrets share is that their primary purpose is to contribute small packets of trust into your team to instill confidence and keep things moving. If you can discipline yourself to do these things consistently, trust will remain high and the team will be stronger than any physical team could ever hope to be.

Working remotely requires usage of good tools. Stephane says that programmers can use useSlack, HipChat, Skype, and Google Hangouts etc. Programmers can also rely on some internal tracking systems like JIRA.

Ryan says that video chat seems like an obvious ‘must-have’ for any remote team.

As per Ryan one of the best practices for remote developer is to have proper communication. Rather than relying solely on email, inspire each other and grow together. Execute the best code possible together. It is always good to learn simple phrases of the languages that other team members speak. From each of those languages, programmers can build incredible trust with the teammates. And it’s not just about saying “Hello” every day. It’s about:

• When you step away from your desk, you let your team know.
• When you realize you’re not going to hit a deadline, you let your team know.
• When you have some free time, you let your team know you’re there to help.
• When you learn about some awesome new framework, you let your team know.
• When you see your team falling behind or bad code getting committed, you let your team know.

Ryan mentions that having the attitude of helping others, is also a secret of becoming a great remote developer.

At X-Team, we have a culture of #sleepcanwait, which means our team doesn’t sleep until they’ve said: “Hey team, how can I help?”

And this is a very common phrase you’ll see in our chat rooms in the middle of a project, because as I mentioned before about communication, you want to have an attitude that makes your team believe they can trust you, that you’ll be there for them, and that everything will get done as a team.

As per Stephane there are some practices which makes a good remote developer:

• Get to Know the Culture of the Organization
• Be Complete When Asking or Answering Questions
• Be Complete When Asking or Answering Questions
• Be Reliable

Ryan shared his final thoughts as:

The future of development is about remote teams, and it’s going to empower people in every corner of the world.... Remote teams are changing the very definition of a developer, and we have to recognize that and adapt how we work. We have to change how we work if we want to change the world.

Courtesy:- INFOQ 

5 Usual Scam Trends Which You Can Face Anytime Anywhere!

Technology is progressing fast and so are we. There is unlimited access to information now in the online space. But data security risks are also growing by leaps and bounds keeping pace with the growth in technology. There is always curiosity around to learn something new and innovate, but greed to become wealthy without hard work is also there, which leads to scams and hacking. There are tons of scammers and smart thieves who are busy in stealing user data and credentials across the world. Scammers can attack you online, on the street as well as at your doorstep too. There are some measures which need to be implemented to play it safe in this dangerous world:

1. Scams at your doorstep: 

When you are feeling relaxed at your home you might be highly vulnerable too due to some con artist. These doorstep scammers are on hunt for senior citizens and they try to persuade the potential customers to buy some worthless products at high prices. Some sell maintenance services while others claim to be a city official who perform different tests and extract personal information to be covered under a survey. But citizens can always stop these scams and that too easily. Always remember to ask for official documents and proper identification.

2. Online dating and marriage scams: 

There are several people for whom marriage is just a contract to get the green card in the U.S. These people offer handsome incentives for the would-be better half. But dating scams are somewhat different. Though the chat process is going healthy enough, a personal meeting in coming days looks to be impossible. This kind of scam leads to mental crisis resulting in deeper problems. Sometimes people start dating online and ask for money to visit the developed countries, where the other person might be settled, and once the loan is granted, the scammer simply disappears. So online love-seekers need to be very cautious of these financial dates.

3. Email and phone scams to get rich quickly: 

Emails and phones are full with huge monetary rewards as well as handsome investment proposals. Random lottery offers, which you may not have even applied for, keep coming asking for your information. It's better have control on greed and think realistically. Get suspicious of deals which are sounding too good to be real. Have extensive research on these kinds of notorious scammers.

4. Charity scams: 

This is an appalling one as it targets the most kind-hearted people around the world who are likely to make a contribution to a noble cause. These kind of scams come in different forms, for example, people ask for money for child's operation, and sometimes formal and polite people stop you on the street, or some may come to your doorstep and ask for donation. You better prefer such people who are asking for money aggressively. If you are interested in charity, donate money with a verified organisation.

5. Airport security scams: 

If you are traveling frequently, then be extra cautious and keep observing your luggage as their are several thieves who may just run away with your luggage. Such thieves work in teams. You should also be careful while connecting to the public Wi-Fi network or use Bluetooth in airports as it can result in your phone being hacked. So it's best you avoid such public Wi-Fi connections and use a VPN on your laptop for better security.

Courtesy: Lifehack 

Important Cover Letter Tips From IT Managers

o attract attention of an IT manager, you need an attractive cover letter that addresses contents of his specific needs. Cover letters are not always informative, most IT managers have started ignoring them. A letter that changes the mind of IT manager is most important to get the job. IT Managers are looking for short synopsis like cover letter that has short but descriptive content that offers some value to the organisation. Today we have listed few important factors of a good cover letter that catches attention of the hiring manager.

Start Fast: 

It is important to understand that a cover letter is lot different than job description. Keep the starting paragraph minimum yet informational. Starting line should contain two sentences about your research and convey a good sense of organisation and their requirements from candidate. Make sure that your letter is not generic. Your cover letter should convey your understanding about organization and services that their offer.

Make Your Pitch: 

After the first paragraph brings manager’s attention, now is the time to explain your skillset and experience. The pitch should express your contribution to the organization and compelling reasons why they should hire you. Make sure that you focus on what values you can offer to the organisation and its growth. Just three or four bullet points that highlight your selling points are good enough to get manager’s attention. The second paragraph should describe the relevant project or skills and your experience. Focus on your those skills and experience that is relevant to manager’s requirement.

Speak To Audience: 

Most candidates fail to address to audience in cover letter. It is important to mention and focus on your career goals and preferences but don’t forget to connect with your audience. IT manager focuses on candidate’s interests and goals. If you can explain how you can meet needs of the organisation and maintain their attention throughout the cover letter, you can significantly increase the chance of landing an interview. A cover letter is like a sales pitch that results in an interview. 


Courtesy:- EFYTIMES News Network