Programmer Job Market - What's Next?

The #1 question every software professional needs to ask himself is : "Where's the heck I'm going to in the near future??". Software is a quickly changing world, where hot fields today may become irrelevant in a couple of years. Thus, a software professional can't afford neglecting this question, at least if he really wants to stay around for long years.

So where's the hot point: what are the most promising fields in the industry for the coming years.

1. Java - the most popular programming language in the world today, with 20% of developers using it as a primary language. This means that millions of applications are going to need updating and maintenance in the coming years.

Additionally, Java is useful for making desktop applications as well as web applications.

2. PHP - is a language for server side web pages. i.e when you load a web page, some of the operations are performed on a server. PHP is used now by millions of programmers around the world, many of them freelancers.

It's free-to-use ("open source") and enjoys an extensive online support.

3. HTML/Javascript/CSS - these languages (not exactly programming ones, but let's ignore that) are used to simply build the user experience of a web site, i.e. the side of the site which the user can see. Obviously in an era of Internet, mastering these languages is extremely important in order to stay relevant in the industry.

For a programmer, not to know HTML or Javascript is like for a doctor not to know resuscitation.

Summary - don't be indifferent to market trends, because you'll find yourself out of business some day.. I hope this short article will make your day a bit better..

Startup - It's More Than What You Think...

When you boot your computer or just log in to your machine, you can see that some programs load automatically. These are startup programs. Generally speaking, they are instant messaging tools (like: Skype, Messenger) or security tools (like: anti-virus, anti-spam). These programs are put in that directory because it's important they're always on. Imagine to yourself what would happen to your computer if your anti-virus program would run only part of the time..

The setback of startup applications is that the automatic loading of these consumes inner memory (RAM), therefore slows the computer. So understandably you'd like to minimize their number. I'll show how to check your startup directory for unnecessary programs which may run there.



1. Click "Start" at the bottom left of the screen.

2. Click "Run". A small window pops up.

3. In the small window, write "regedit" and press "OK". A new large window pops up.

4. On the left side (of the new window) you can see a list of many folders. Choose "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE".

5. From the sub-folders of "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE", choose "software".

6. From the sub-folders of "software", choose "Microsoft".

7. From the sub-folders of "Microsoft", choose "Windows".

8. From the sub-folders of "Windows", choose "Run". Now you see a list of programs on the right side of the window. These are the startup programs, meaning: the programs which load automatically every time you log in to your computer.

9. You may delete unnecessary programs. Notice: if you delete a program from this list, the programs keeps residing on your computer. It just doesn't load automatically upon logging in.

Your Laptop Battery - Things You Should Know

Your Laptop's Battery - a Few Important Points to Remember Your battery is low again, ah?? Here's a pack of small details you probably don't know yet, and might be helpful for you:

1. What's better : keeping the laptop plugged in to the power socket or letting it get empty and recharging it ? most of you might jump and say "sure, keeping it plugged in". Wrong! the battery is like a muscle, if it gets some training, it preserves its potency. If it's always fully charged, it gets older very fast.

2. If you think that after some 6 months with the laptop, the battery holds for less hours than when it was brand new, you're absolutely right! To know exactly how much capacity the battery has lost, you may use the following software: http://download.cnet.com/BatteryBar/3000-2094_4-10866804.html

3. Along the laptop's life, the power meter (this little meter that tells you how fully charged is the battery at the moment) gets less & less accurate. This may cause you problems like: sudden shutting down of the laptop while doing something important. You can fix this issue by "recalibrating" the battery.
How to recalibrate:
a. Charge your battery completely. Then,wait 2 hours with the laptop plugged in.
b. Drain the battery completely (till the laptop turns off). Then. wait 5 hours.
c. Charge again the battery. Now, the power meter should be more accurate.

4. When is the appropriate time to dump your battery and purchase a new one? Experts claim that it's recommended to keep the battery while it's at least 25% of its original strength. Below this point, the battery can't give you a reasonable service.

Summary - the battery is the laptop's #1 headache, but using the points I've mentioned, might prevent this pain from becoming a migraine..