Tag Archives ⇒ Java

Site Creation – Ruby on Rails

· Brandon Hann

Ruby on Rails is another programming language for faster web development. It is also known as Rails or RoR and is the newest programming language as of this writing since it first came out in 2004. The purpose of the Rails project was to make the process of creating web applications much easier and less time-consuming. This is accomplished by using the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture to organize application programming.

By using various packages like ActiveRecord (an object-relational mapping system for database access), ActiveResource (provides web services), ActionPack, ActiveSupport and ActionMailer, Rails make programming a web script very easy. In fact, when I was researching Rails, I found a video on their website that shows a blog being made in 15 minutes! If the video is still online, you can view it here. Unlike Java, Rails requires a web server to run on, which makes it a great choice for building web apps.

Rails Resources

  • Official Rails Website – There’s no better place to start than here! Get all the latest news and updates from the developers. Get screencasts, code and documentation as well.
  • Ruby on Rails Cheat Sheet – To get a nice little quick reference guide for Rails created by AddedBytes.com, go here. You can print out this one-page guide to aid you in your Rails programming ventures.
  • Rails Tutorials – There are three really good tutorials on this site that go into depth about how Rails works and how you can get started.

Who uses Rails?

The biggest site known to use Rails is Twitter! I’d have to say that for a website as large as that, Rails must be pretty useful, not to mention stable. Other known sites are BaseCampHQ and Shopify.

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Site Creation – Java

· Brandon Hann

Java is a programming language that was born out of frustration over the complexity and size of C++ programs. It’s commonly used throughout the Internet as well as mobile devices. It is much simpler than C++ and it uses an object-oriented programming model. Java is used to create web applications called applets that can be used in a variety of ways to add functionality to a website. These applets are what make it possible for users to directly interact with a web page. You most likely have been running some sort of Java software for the last 10+ years and didn’t even know it!

When creating a website, you can add many different types of functionality to help users use your site easier. These features can be things such as stylized menus, data forms, counters, clocks, etc. Check out HotScripts.com for a sampling of the things you can do with Java.

Characteristics of Java

  • You can develop portable programs in a network by compiling them into “bytecode”. This bytecode can be run on any client computer that runs the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). JVM interprets the bytecode into code that the computer understands. Most computer software is designed for specific operating systems, whereas Java software is executed on the fly by the virtual machine. This enabled Sun Microsystems to create the various OS versions of Java Virtual Machine, but only one Java app.
  • Java software is written so that it cannot pull references and objects from external data sources. Essentially, all of its instructions are contained within the Java code. This ensures that the Java Virtual Machine does not crash. Every object is inspected by JVM to be of the highest quality to maintain a functional environment. All of this makes Java a very robust programming language.
  • Because Java is object-oriented, it allows an object to be part of a group (or class) or other objects, which can then inherit any code that’s part of that class. A way to describe this would be to compare it to Microsoft Active Directory, where you can have a group of users that all have individual permissions, but they also all inherit the permissions of the whole group.
  • Java runs very fast because it’s ran locally from the client’s computer rather than from a server.
  • Compared to C++, Java is a much easier programming language to learn.

Java was first created by Sun Microsystems in 1990 as part of the Stealth Project. It soon grew into what we know of Java today and all major web browsers now include the Java Virtual Machine to parse Java code

This is a small sample of Java code
on websites. Mobile devices and smartphones all utilize Java as well. On cell phones, Java is more commonly used to support game play.

Java and JavaScript: the same?

Contrary to what you might have thought, these two are not the same. JavaScript originated at Netscape as a programming language used to run smaller applications on webservers or client machines. Java is able to run apps without needing an operating system requirement and because of this, it’s considered a better solution, even for web apps. JavaScript, however, is much easier to learn than Java.

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