OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT: THE APACHE SERVER
To have an efficient and appropriate software for our various needs and other applications is never a problem. We just have to surf the internet and find some commercially produced software or open source software to try on our own.
It is usual to most students to download trial versions softwares rather than spending much, just to have their own original product. For pratical reason, more prefers to use pirated commercial products or have an open source softwares which are free.
Presently, open sourcing had bloomed so fast. More and more supporters from the different areas of the IT Industry are coming. This study of Mockus, Fielding and Herbsleb actually showed the advantages of using open source products like the Apache Server for example. In their study, promoting these softwares will lead to a better IT world. More developers enhance their skills and had the opportunity to be known internationally. The continuous growth of every open source programs will result to better and useful products.
It is always stressed out that these open source products are for free unlike those commercial softwares that are commonly used. Although sometimes, these softwares doesn't meet our expectations in its functionality; it can still give a solution for our problems through maximizing its available properties.
References:
http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/mockusapache.pdf
CONVERTING C PROGRAMS TO C++
C is one of most interesting languages I've learned. As a primitive language, it is applied to various applications like system designing. "C++ is most effective when applied to new software projects that use an object-oriented design from the start. However, many C programs can benefit from object-oriented extensions even when a complete rewrite is impractical. By converting a C application to compile using a C++ compiler, object-oriented elements can be introduced incrementally."(Jerry Fitzpatrick,1995) C++ as a fruit language continues in bringing the popularity of C to the programming world and competes to other OOP languages commonly used today.
This study showed the benefits and improvements in converting C programs to a C++ version. The size of the source program had lessen and the result program is faster to be executed. During the study, the author found out faults and errors that are difficult to solve when converting a block of program. There are also keywords that results conflicts. In the end, the author was still successful in transforming the entire C code to C++ having to eliminate bugs that occured during conversion process.
For me, the advances that I saw from C programming language had never changed. It's still up to every programmers to what programming language they will be using as long as it can help them solve problems they are encountering. I believe all programming languages were created with it's own purpose and can still be developed due time.
References:
http://www.softwarerenovation.com/Converting.pdf
AA-Sort: A New Parallel Sorting Algorithm for Multi-Core SIMD Processors
Today, computer processors are rapidly upgrading. There are dual-core and quad-core processors available in the computer market. Soon, this no ending progress will produce highly innovative technologies, super processors. As a supplement, new system design will exist handle this high technologies. And one of this development are the sorting algorithm employed.
The traditional sorting algorithms; quick, bubble and merge sort still applies for some present and old computer processors. But now, the more multiple threading and pipelining involved in this super processors the more problems occured that even old fashioned sorting algorithms can no more answer. These gives a reason for these team of japanese IT professionals to develop a new sorting algorithm that will solve this existed problems. They called it, Aligned-Access Sort or the AA Sort. It has two major algorithm the In-Core and Out-of-Core algorithm. This new sorting method is an enhanced combination of bubble sorting and merge sorting. They had tested it to a Multi-Core SIMD processor and were able to surpass the previous algorithm used. As a whole, this shows that the development of sorting algorithms will never end due to the never ending development of computer architectures in the IT World.
References: http://www.research.ibm.com/trl/people/inouehrs/pdf/PACT2007-SIMDsort.pdf
