IT Minds

Windows 10 install problems — and how to solve them Windows 10 has been out for 18 months and many of you – some grudgingly, perhaps – have decided to upgrade. Often that goes smoothly. Sometimes, not so much, which is why we’re flagging the most common problems and how to deal with them. This guide targets two separate but intertwined groups: Those who have recently upgraded from Win7 (or, less likely, Win8.1) and those who have upgraded from an earlier version of Win10 (likely the November Update, Version 1511) to a recent version (as of this writing, probably the Anniversary Update, Version 1607). [ Solve your Win10 installation headaches with our  Windows 10 Installation Superguide . Download it today! | Stay up on key Microsoft technologies with the  Windows newsletter . ] Both groups often face similar obstacles and challenges, identical error codes, and a common “what the heck are we doing here?” sense of bewilderment. Here’s our attempt to guide you throug...

7 reasons why frameworks are the new programming languages In the 1980s, the easiest way to start a nerd fight was to proclaim that your favorite programming language was best. C, Pascal, Lisp, Fortran? Programmers spent hours explaining exactly why their particular way of crafting an if-then-else clause was superior to your way. That was then. Today, battles involving syntax and structure are largely over because the world has converged on a few simple standards. The differences between the semicolons, curly brackets, and whatnot in C, Java, and JavaScript are minor. Interesting debates about typing and closures still exist, but most are moot because automation is closing the gap. If you don't like specifying a data type, there's a good chance the computer will be able to infer exactly what you meant. If your boss wants JavaScript but you like Java, a cross-compiler will convert all of your statically typed Java into minified JavaScript, ready to run in a browser. Why...

Some scientists say time moves forward at a constant rate. The clever ones argue that everything changes near the speed of light. But none of this explains the increasing rate of change in the world of tech. It keeps accelerating a bit more every time you look. [ Time's have changed, and so has the future of app dev. Catch up on our latest predictions here:  11 predictions for the future of programming . ] If you’re wondering where to place your next development bet, looking five years out can seem like mere guesswork. Anticipating tech’s future is nearly impossible, much less the skills and tools that will be relevant given the impact of innovations to come. But there are inklings that can be gleaned from the tea leaves of today’s tech landscape -- glimmers of the future of programming through the fog. [ Find out how to handle the real-world problems faced by developers, with InfoWorld's  professional programmer's business survival guide . | Keep up with hot topics in...

Microsoft Visual Studio 2017 Released for Public Download Microsoft has finally released Visual Studio 2017 - the refreshed version of Microsoft's integrated development environment (IDE) - for public download. The new Visual Studio 2017 brings support for non-Windows operating systems that allows developers to build cloud and mobile apps on Mac, Linux, and others. The entire suite is available to  download  from the company's Visual Studio website, along with an offer that gives early adopters free 60 days access to Xamarin University to learn coding. As promised,  Microsoft  has pulled Visual Studio's public preview out of the testing phase and it is now available online.  Visual Studio 2017  comes with several new features and the support for Mac, Linux, and other platforms is the significant one. Claimed as "the most productive version yet", Microsoft emphasises capabilities of Visual Studio 2017 to "help any developer, build any application, on a...

7 Habits Successful People Avoid We all have bad habits that we struggle with, but are your habits preventing you from being successful? I’m not talking about biting your nails or fidgeting, but rather habits you may not even be aware that you have. If your goal is to be successful in your endeavors, read this list closely and try to identify if you have any of these bad habits — and then see how you can try to fix them. 1. Perfectionism It’s almost become a joke that people think perfectionism is a “good” bad habit. But it’s really not. True perfectionism often means fear of doing something badly can prevent us from even beginning or trying anything new. Successful people understand that success comes with a great deal of failure, false starts, first drafts, and do-overs. 2. Waiting on opportunity Opportunity doesn’t  always  knock; and those people who tend to sit around and wait for it for it often miss the opportunities that are waiting if they just put ...