Category Archives: Development

5 Reasons to Use Scala

Java has been on the leading edge of the developing curve for a bevy of reasons. It’s one of the three core technologies that are responsible for the development of world wide web content and it’s reigned supreme in agility, functionality, and simplicity, however, there may be a possible contender that leverages a little more flexibility when it comes to ease of programming. Scala, designed over fifteen years ago by Martin Odersky at the Polytechnic School of Lausanne in Switzerland, runs on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) and is actively continuing to be developed.

 

What is Scala?

Scala is a source code that is intended to be compiled to Java bytecode so that the resulting executable code runs on a Java virtual machine. Scala provides language interoperability with Java, so that libraries written in both languages may be referenced directly in Scala or Java code.

That being said, let’s dive a little deeper into the Scala world and explore the five reasons why it’s blazing a trail for developers:

 

Safe Parallel Computation

Parallel computing consists of dividing a problem into subproblems, then carrying out the solution of those problems simultaneously (“separate thread”), offering a solution to the initial problem. Java SE offers the reference frame “fork / join framework”, which makes it easier to implement parallel computing in its applications.

 

Agility

This is the particular area where Scala is incontestably better than other languages, such as Java. In Scala, the limitations of OO patterns for implementing code does not apply and this pattern, the developers are also allowed to bring functional paradigms. So you have the best of both worlds when it comes to functional coding paradigms and the OO patterns.

 

Third-party APIs

It’s safe to say every developer needs functionalities for the apps they are creating. Having said that, these days you count with two different options when choosing the functions you want for your app: either you start from scratch or you accept the help of a third party app.  However, Scala comes loaded with built-in functions, so, thanks to this, you now have far better controls with simple code that will surely improve your loading speed.

 

Asynchronous Processing

Scala is built to deliver asynchronous behavior, so, just like other web development frameworks, it offers extreme ease concerning standout natural codes.

 

Lazy Evaluation

This is an evaluation that delays the calculation of an expression until its value becomes necessary. It also avoids repetition of the evaluation in case you may need it on other occasions. This characteristic may decrease the execution time of certain functions exponentially compared to other ways of evaluation.

So as you can see, Scala possesses the capability to surpass the reach of its predecessors and really supply developers with the tools necessary to build out amazing enterprise solutions. Oktana is a huge fan of utilizing Scala to develop user-profiles, implement permission management strategies, and other high order functions.

4 Reasons Git is One Tool to Rule Them All

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Here at Oktana, we focus on quality to ensure the applications we develop are secure, functional and scalable.

 

What is Git?

What is Git, you may ask? Git is an open source version control system used to manage pertinent files and company tracking history, all while coding in a secure environment.

Need further clarity? Let’s provide a little more context. In the early years of software development, engineers feared the possibility of losing their data and progress so they would record paper copies of source code throughout stages of development. Yep, that happened.

Over time, programs were eventually stored in computer hard drives, however, engineers were still cautious and thought further security measures needed to be instated. To address this issue, a lock system was created to protect data which came to be called Source Code Control System (SCCS). To put it simply, if one developer is editing a file, no other personnel can access the file.

As with anything involved with computer software, the next evolution of version control systems elevated to the cloud. There were many contenders but the most widely known was Subversion (SVN). SVN was centralized in one place and was the only source of all truth. The idea here was that if engineers still had to manage a locking file system, at least they could develop multiple versions of those files and create branches to track new versions of files without changing or rewriting the previous versions.

Everyone that had worked with SVN loves Git. It was the evolution of version control giving us the same power of the first paper copies, where you can add side notes in a file, have totally different stories, and backups but now we’re saving trees! Also, it’s in the cloud so it can be accessed from everywhere.

And thus, history was changed, or at least, a version of it.

Now that we have more of a background on Git, let’s explore the features a bit more:

 

Spread and conquer

Remember those single source of truth days? Well those are over now! Anyone who has a copy of the Git repository has access to the history log with all file versions and updates. So, if a meteorite were to crash the server, nothing would be lost because several engineers still have repositories that reflect the same information.

 

Web dependency isn’t independence

In the past, all the tracking was done in the remote repository, you needed to have an internet connection and, of course, to the repository itself. Now you can track everything locally where changes and commits are securely saved on your computer while you enjoy the hills until you return to civilization to deploy

 

Undo mistakes, look like a pro

Let’s face it, we all make mistakes. But don’t worry, in any situation, Git counts with an appropriate command. It doesn’t matter if you need to revert a commit or fix it because you forgot to add a file, you won’t need a new change in your application history.

 

Work in your own style

Git counts with a flexibility other version control systems do not possess, so, obviously, there are plenty of books that provide us with information on the right way to work with Git. However, there are as many books as teams. Every project and every developer has their own developing needs, and this is why Git is popular; it’s very flexible, adaptable, and really fosters team collaboration.

Key Advantages of React Native

Our first Oktana workshop of the year gave us some amazing tools on how to begin our journey through React Native. We’re always looking for new and innovative ways to develop top-notch functionalities and React Native is the next best thing. Similar to our React Native workshop, we will walk you through the four key advantages of this outstanding framework and how it is an awesome tool for developing optimal solutions with JavaScript. 

Key advantage of react native

But, first things first, what exactly is React Native? React Native is the next generation of React – a JavaScript code library developed by Facebook and Instagram, released in 2013. It enables users to natively develop rendering applications for both Android and iOS operating systems.

Now that we know a little more about the framework, let’s jump into the 4 key advantages of React Native:

 

JavaScript

According to Stack Overflow, more than 55% of developers use this language, so being JavaScript one of the fastest and most -used programming languages, combined with the community usage and the incredible amount of documentation available, make React Native one of the most developer-friendly frameworks out there.

 

Dynamics

One of the most amazing things about React native is how it makes you think of the moments where you want to go from wireframes to something real, tangible. As you gain experience, you will easily start to notice the “general minimal state” which makes your app work, and quickly notice the way it needs to change, dividing them into components, in order to form a more complex functionality. This way, something that seemed like a huge endeavor, you can resolve in no time.

 

It’s all native

We must definitely highlight that React Native’s building blocks are reusable “native components” that enable developers to build more native-like UI/UX apps as opposed to typical hybrid frameworks that can’t be archived. This way, the app will have the speed, look, and functionality of a native mobile app.

 

Longevity

React is fairly new but it is certainly on an incline for demand. It was first released at the Hackathon to address technical issues for the developers’ community. It eventually transitioned into React Native, a framework created specifically for this initiative. Furthermore, React is heavily supported by the social media giant Facebook, which has made a solid investment in developing its technology.

 

In conclusion, React Native provides great functionality for developers and users. It enables developers to easily and quickly build a fast and intuitive mobile app working for both Android and iOS. Functioning on several different operating systems, it pays homage to their motto, “learn once, write anywhere.”