XML Training in Oakland, California

A very well known fact is that code is written once, but it is read many times. This means that a good developer, in any language, writes understandable code. Writing understandable code is not always easy, and takes practice. The difficult part, is that you read what you have just written and it makes perfect sense to you, but a year later you curse the idiot who wrote that code, without realizing it was you.

The best way to learn how to write readable code, is to collaborate with others. Other people will spot badly written code, faster than the author. There are plenty of open source projects, which you can start working on and learn from more experienced programmers.

Readability is a tricky thing, and involves several aspects:

Never surprise the reader of your code, even if it will be you a year from now. For example, don’t call a function max() when sometimes it returns the minimum().
Be consistent, and use the same conventions throughout your code. Not only the same naming conventions, and the same indentation, but also the same semantics. If, for example, most of your functions return a negative value for failure and a positive for success, then avoid writing functions that return false on failure.
Write short functions, so that they fit your screen. I hate strict rules, since there are always exceptions, but from my experience you can almost always write functions short enough to fit your screen. Throughout my carrier I had only a few cases when writing short function was either impossible, or resulted in much worse code.
Use descriptive names, unless this is one of those standard names, such as i or it in a loop. Don’t make the name too long, on one hand, but don’t make it cryptic on the other.
Define function names by what they do, not by what they are used for or how they are implemented. If you name functions by what they do, then code will be much more readable, and much more reusable.
Avoid global state as much as you can. Global variables, and sometimes attributes in an object, are difficult to reason about. It is difficult to understand why such global state changes, when it does, and requires a lot of debugging.
As Donald Knuth wrote in one of his papers: “Early optimization is the root of all evil”. Meaning, write for readability first, optimize later.
The opposite of the previous rule: if you have an alternative which has similar readability, but lower complexity, use it. Also, if you have a polynomial alternative to your exponential algorithm (when N > 10), you should use that.

Use standard library whenever it makes your code shorter; don’t implement everything yourself. External libraries are more problematic, and are both good and bad. With external libraries, such as boost, you can save a lot of work. You should really learn boost, with the added benefit that the c++ standard gets more and more form boost. The negative with boost is that it changes over time, and code that works today may break tomorrow. Also, if you try to combine a third-party library, which uses a specific version of boost, it may break with your current version of boost. This does not happen often, but it may.

Don’t blindly use C++ standard library without understanding what it does - learn it. You look at std::vector::push_back() documentation at it tells you that its complexity is O(1), amortized. What does that mean? How does it work? What are benefits and what are the costs? Same with std::map, and with std::unordered_map. Knowing the difference between these two maps, you’d know when to use each one of them.

Never call new or delete directly, use std::make_unique and [cost c++]std::make_shared[/code] instead. Try to implement usique_ptr, shared_ptr, weak_ptr yourself, in order to understand what they actually do. People do dumb things with these types, since they don’t understand what these pointers are.

Every time you look at a new class or function, in boost or in std, ask yourself “why is it done this way and not another?”. It will help you understand trade-offs in software development, and will help you use the right tool for your job. Don’t be afraid to peek into the source of boost and the std, and try to understand how it works. It will not be easy, at first, but you will learn a lot.

Know what complexity is, and how to calculate it. Avoid exponential and cubic complexity, unless you know your N is very low, and will always stay low.

Learn data-structures and algorithms, and know them. Many people think that it is simply a wasted time, since all data-structures are implemented in standard libraries, but this is not as simple as that. By understanding data-structures, you’d find it easier to pick the right library. Also, believe it or now, after 25 years since I learned data-structures, I still use this knowledge. Half a year ago I had to implemented a hash table, since I needed fast serialization capability which the available libraries did not provide. Now I am writing some sort of interval-btree, since using std::map, for the same purpose, turned up to be very very slow, and the performance bottleneck of my code.

Notice that you can’t just find interval-btree on Wikipedia, or stack-overflow. The closest thing you can find is Interval tree, but it has some performance drawbacks. So how can you implement an interval-btree, unless you know what a btree is and what an interval-tree is? I strongly suggest, again, that you learn and remember data-structures.

These are the most important things, which will make you a better programmer. The other things will follow.

Types of Freelance Work in the IT Industry

[Mar, 29, 2014] |
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The field of information technology is in many ways perfectly suited for entrepreneurship. Many highly successful enterprises started with a lone IT professional venturing out on their own and starting up their own company. If you have computer science skills and want to explore alternative options outside the corporate arena you should seriously consider going into business for yourself. Businesses may be more willing to hire you as a contractor rather than as a full-time worker. There are certain IT jobs that are perfect for individuals who want to be self-employed, they include:

• Working as a Consultant
Large IT departments are not as necessary for corporations as they were at the start of the internet era; this is partly due to the trend towards cloud computing. Consultants are often brought in to handle the need for tech expertise when companies downsize or eliminate their IT departments. A consultant may work for several different clients at the same time, be on call for various disciplines or be commissioned for specific projects.

• Web Entrepreneurship
The ease of building a website and the fact that web hosting is relatively affordable means that it does not take a lot of know-how to start your own online empire. You can sell products or services, or start your own online community. Another option is to start selling goods via auction sites or on sites that sell advertising space. You will need an understanding of marketing and of search engine optimization so that you can draw visitors to your site.

• Programming Apps for Mobile Devices
The future of the Internet is in mobile devices. Statistics show that much of the world will be using mobile devices and smart phones to handle their surfing needs in the near future. If you have the skills to program the apps used on these devices, you could be among those riding the wave of this trend.

It is not impossible to start an Information Technology company with very little startup capital. Getting it off the ground in terms of online visibility will require focus to detail, knowing your target market, a consistent campaign to build a client list and a solid reputation.

How do top programmers work?

[May, 20, 2014] |
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For many people, one of the most exciting and challenging career choices is computer programming. There are several ways that people can enter the computer programming profession; however, the most popular method has traditionally been the educational route through an educational institution of higher learning such as a college or technical school.

Even though many people think of computer programmers as individuals with a technical background, some programmers enter the computer programming profession without a structured technical background. In addition, after further investigation several interesting facts are uncovered when a profile of the best computer programmers is analyzed.

When observing how the top programmers in the profession work, there are four characteristics that tend to separate the top programmers from the average programmers. These four characteristics are:

1.Creativity.
2.Attention To Detail.
3.Learns New Things Quickly.
4.Works Well With Others.

Creativity.

Being a top computer programmer requires a combination of several unique qualities. One of these qualities is creativity. In its very essence, computer programming is about creating programs to accomplish specific tasks in the most efficient manner. The ability to develop computer code to accomplish tasks takes a certain level of creativity. The top computer programmers tend to have a great deal of creativity, and they have the desire to try things in a variety of ways to produce the best results for a particular situation.

Attention To Detail.

While creativity is important for top programmers an almost opposite quality is needed to produce great computer programs on a consistent basis, this quality is attention to detail. The very nature of computer programming requires the need to enter thousands of lines of computer programming code. What separates many top programmers from average programmers is the ability to enter these lines of code with a minimum amount of errors and just as importantly test the code to catch any unseen errors. Top computer programmers have the necessary attention to detail to successfully create and enter the necessary computer code project after project.

Learns New Things Quickly.

The technology field is constantly changing. Almost daily new technology innovations are being developed that require computer programmers to learn new technology or enhancements to current technology on a regular basis. The top computer programmers are able to learn new technology or enhancements quickly, and then they are able to apply what has been learned to their current and future programming projects in a seamless manner.

Works Well With Others.

There are several differences between top computer programmers and other programmers. However, one of the biggest differences is the ability to work well with others. By its very nature, computer programming requires programmers to spend a lot of time alone developing computer code, but the top computer programmers are able to excel at this aspect of computer programming along with being able to work well with other people.

Regarding computer programmers, the top programmers approach and handle their jobs differently than other programmers, and these differences set them apart from the other programmers. For any average programmers who have the desire to excel as a computer programmer, they must understand and embrace the characteristics of top programmers.

How important is it to exercise for people in technology that sit for hours on end?

What are a few unique pieces of career advice that nobody ever mentions?

Java Memory Management

[Aug, 28, 2012] |
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I will begin our blog on Java Tutorial with an incredibly important aspect of java development: memory management. The importance of this topic should not be minimized as an application's performance and footprint size are at stake.

From the outset, the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) manages memory via a mechanism known as Garbage Collection (GC). The Garbage collector

Manages the heap memory. All obects are stored on the heap; therefore, all objects are managed. The keyword, new, allocates the requisite memory to instantiate an object and places the newly allocated memory on the heap. This object is marked as live until it is no longer being reference.
Deallocates or reclaims those objects that are no longer being referened.
Traditionally, employs a Mark and Sweep algorithm. In the mark phase, the collector identifies which objects are still alive. The sweep phase identifies objects that are no longer alive.
Deallocates the memory of objects that are not marked as live.
Is automatically run by the JVM and not explicitely called by the Java developer. Unlike languages such as C++, the Java developer has no explict control over memory management.
Does not manage the stack. Local primitive types and local object references are not managed by the GC.

So if the Java developer has no control over memory management, why even worry about the GC? It turns out that memory management is an integral part of an application's performance, all things being equal. The more memory that is required for the application to run, the greater the likelihood that computational efficiency suffers. To that end, the developer has to take into account the amount of memory being allocated when writing code. This translates into the amount of heap memory being consumed.

Memory is split into two types: stack and heap. Stack memory is memory set aside for a thread of execution e.g. a function. When a function is called, a block of memory is reserved for those variables local to the function, provided that they are either a type of Java primitive or an object reference. Upon runtime completion of the function call, the reserved memory block is now available for the next thread of execution. Heap memory, on the otherhand, is dynamically allocated. That is, there is no set pattern for allocating or deallocating this memory. Therefore, keeping track or managing this type of memory is a complicated process. In Java, such memory is allocated when instantiating an object:

String s = new String();  // new operator being employed
String m = "A String";    /* object instantiated by the JVM and then being set to a value.  The JVM
calls the new operator */

Tech Life in California

Largely influenced by several immigrant populations California has experienced several technological, entertainment and economic booms over the years. As for technology, Silicon Valley, in the southern part of San Francisco is an integral part of the worldâ€™s innovators, high-tech businesses and a myriad of techie start-ups. It also accounts for 1/3rd of all venture capital investments.

There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure. Colin Powell

other Learning Options

Software developers near Oakland have ample opportunities to meet like minded techie individuals, collaborate and expend their career choices by participating in Meet-Up Groups. The following is a list of Technology Groups in the area.

SF Bay MeeGo Network · The Great WebDev Debates · East Bay Phone Gap Study Group ·

Fortune 500 and 1000 companies in California that offer opportunities for XML developers

Company Name	City	Industry	Secondary Industry
Mattel, Inc.	El Segundo	Retail	Sporting Goods, Hobby, Book, and Music Stores
Spectrum Group International, Inc.	Irvine	Retail	Retail Other
Chevron Corp	San Ramon	Energy and Utilities	Gasoline and Oil Refineries
Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc.	Pasadena	Real Estate and Construction	Construction and Remodeling
eBay Inc.	San Jose	Software and Internet	E-commerce and Internet Businesses
Broadcom Corporation	Irvine	Computers and Electronics	Semiconductor and Microchip Manufacturing
Franklin Templeton Investments	San Mateo	Financial Services	Investment Banking and Venture Capital
Pacific Life Insurance Company	Newport Beach	Financial Services	Insurance and Risk Management
Tutor Perini Corporation	Sylmar	Real Estate and Construction	Construction and Remodeling
SYNNEX Corporation	Fremont	Software and Internet	Data Analytics, Management and Storage
Core-Mark International Inc	South San Francisco	Manufacturing	Food and Dairy Product Manufacturing and Packaging
Occidental Petroleum Corporation	Los Angeles	Manufacturing	Chemicals and Petrochemicals
Yahoo!, Inc.	Sunnyvale	Software and Internet	Software and Internet Other
Edison International	Rosemead	Energy and Utilities	Gas and Electric Utilities
Ingram Micro, Inc.	Santa Ana	Computers and Electronics	Consumer Electronics, Parts and Repair
Safeway, Inc.	Pleasanton	Retail	Grocery and Specialty Food Stores
Gilead Sciences, Inc.	San Mateo	Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals and Biotech	Pharmaceuticals
AECOM Technology Corporation	Los Angeles	Real Estate and Construction	Architecture,Engineering and Design
Reliance Steel and Aluminum	Los Angeles	Manufacturing	Metals Manufacturing
Live Nation, Inc.	Beverly Hills	Media and Entertainment	Performing Arts
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.	Sunnyvale	Computers and Electronics	Semiconductor and Microchip Manufacturing
Pacific Gas and Electric Corp	San Francisco	Energy and Utilities	Gas and Electric Utilities
Electronic Arts Inc.	Redwood City	Software and Internet	Games and Gaming
Oracle Corporation	Redwood City	Software and Internet	Software and Internet Other
Symantec Corporation	Mountain View	Software and Internet	Data Analytics, Management and Storage
Dole Food Company, Inc.	Thousand Oaks	Manufacturing	Food and Dairy Product Manufacturing and Packaging
CBRE Group, Inc.	Los Angeles	Real Estate and Construction	Real Estate Investment and Development
First American Financial Corporation	Santa Ana	Financial Services	Financial Services Other
The Gap, Inc.	San Francisco	Retail	Clothing and Shoes Stores
Ross Stores, Inc.	Pleasanton	Retail	Clothing and Shoes Stores
Qualcomm Incorporated	San Diego	Telecommunications	Wireless and Mobile
Charles Schwab Corporation	San Francisco	Financial Services	Securities Agents and Brokers
Sempra Energy	San Diego	Energy and Utilities	Gas and Electric Utilities
Western Digital Corporation	Irvine	Computers and Electronics	Consumer Electronics, Parts and Repair
Health Net, Inc.	Woodland Hills	Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals and Biotech	Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, and Biotech Other
Allergan, Inc.	Irvine	Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals and Biotech	Biotechnology
The Walt Disney Company	Burbank	Media and Entertainment	Motion Picture and Recording Producers
Hewlett-Packard Company	Palo Alto	Computers and Electronics	Consumer Electronics, Parts and Repair
URS Corporation	San Francisco	Real Estate and Construction	Architecture,Engineering and Design
Cisco Systems, Inc.	San Jose	Computers and Electronics	Networking Equipment and Systems
Wells Fargo and Company	San Francisco	Financial Services	Banks
Intel Corporation	Santa Clara	Computers and Electronics	Semiconductor and Microchip Manufacturing
Applied Materials, Inc.	Santa Clara	Computers and Electronics	Semiconductor and Microchip Manufacturing
Sanmina Corporation	San Jose	Computers and Electronics	Semiconductor and Microchip Manufacturing
Agilent Technologies, Inc.	Santa Clara	Telecommunications	Telecommunications Equipment and Accessories
Avery Dennison Corporation	Pasadena	Manufacturing	Paper and Paper Products
The Clorox Company	Oakland	Manufacturing	Chemicals and Petrochemicals
Apple Inc.	Cupertino	Computers and Electronics	Consumer Electronics, Parts and Repair
Amgen Inc	Thousand Oaks	Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals and Biotech	Biotechnology
McKesson Corporation	San Francisco	Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals and Biotech	Pharmaceuticals
DIRECTV	El Segundo	Telecommunications	Cable Television Providers
Visa, Inc.	San Mateo	Financial Services	Credit Cards and Related Services
Google, Inc.	Mountain View	Software and Internet	E-commerce and Internet Businesses

training details locations, tags and why hsg

the hartmann software group advantage

why take XML Training with the hartmann software group?

A successful career as a software developer or other IT professional requires a solid understanding of software development processes, design patterns, enterprise application architectures, web services, security, networking and much more. The progression from novice to expert can be a daunting endeavor; this is especially true when traversing the learning curve without expert guidance. A common experience is that too much time and money is wasted on a career plan or application due to misinformation.

The Hartmann Software Group understands these issues and addresses them and others during any training engagement. Although no IT educational institution can guarantee career or application development success, HSG can get you closer to your goals at a far faster rate than self paced learning and, arguably, than the competition. Here are the reasons why we are so successful at teaching:

Learn from the experts.
1. We have provided software development and other IT related training to many major corporations in California since 2002.
2. Our educators have years of consulting and training experience; moreover, we require each trainer to have cross-discipline expertise i.e. be Java and .NET experts so that you get a broad understanding of how industry wide experts work and think.
Discover tips and tricks about XML programming
Get your questions answered by easy to follow, organized XML experts
Get up to speed with vital XML programming tools
Save on travel expenses by learning right from your desk or home office. Enroll in an online instructor led class. Nearly all of our classes are offered in this way.
Prepare to hit the ground running for a new job or a new position
See the big picture and have the instructor fill in the gaps
We teach with sophisticated learning tools and provide excellent supporting course material
Books and course material are provided in advance
Get a book of your choice from the HSG Store as a gift from us when you register for a class
Gain a lot of practical skills in a short amount of time
We teach what we know…software
We care…

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California cities where we offer XML Training Classes

·Baldwin Park, California · Lodi, CA · Tracy · Encinitas, CA ·Yuba City, California · Chino Hills, CA ·Hanford, California · San Rafael, CA · Ontario · Antioch, CA ·El Cajon, California · Pleasanton, CA ·Fontana, California · Hesperia, CA · San Leandro · Chino, CA ·South Gate, California · Lake Elsinore, CA ·Hawthorne, California · Santa Rosa, CA · Camarillo · San Mateo, CA ·Victorville, California · Alhambra, CA ·Garden Grove, California · Pittsburg, CA · Murrieta · Ventura, CA ·Santa Barbara, California · Fremont, CA ·San Francisco, California · Berkeley, CA · Lancaster · Compton, CA ·Diamond Bar, California · Sacramento, CA ·Walnut Creek, California · Delano, CA · Manteca · Irvine, CA ·Rosemead, California · Salinas, CA ·Santee, California · Santa Maria, CA · Vallejo · Laguna Niguel, CA ·Fullerton, California · Mission Viejo, CA ·Newport Beach, California · Pomona, CA · Palo Alto · Modesto, CA ·Redlands, California · Whittier, CA ·Stockton, California · Clovis, CA · Rancho Cucamonga · Escondido, CA ·Livermore, California · Sunnyvale, CA ·Turlock, California · La Mesa, CA · Downey · Yorba Linda, CA ·Pasadena, California · Redding, CA ·Perris, California · Apple Valley, CA · Rocklin · Elk Grove, CA ·Vacaville, California · San Jose, CA ·Carson, California · Oxnard, CA · Novato · Carlsbad, CA ·Milpitas, California · Rancho Cordova, CA ·Madera, California · Porterville, CA · Palm Desert · Glendale, CA ·Gardena, California · Bakersfield, CA ·Cupertino, California · Redondo Beach, CA · Santa Clara · Temecula, CA ·Riverside, California · Torrance, CA ·Alameda, California · Watsonville, CA · Monterey Park · Simi Valley, CA ·Montebello, California · Norwalk, CA ·Fresno, California · South San Francisco, CA · Tulare · San Bernardino, CA ·Richmond, California · Bellflower, CA ·Santa Clarita, California · Lynwood, CA · Thousand Oaks · Buena Park, CA ·Tustin, California · Orange, CA ·Palmdale, California · Moreno Valley, CA · National City · Chula Vista, CA ·El Monte, California · Huntington Park, CA ·Fountain Valley, California · San Marcos, CA · Mountain View · Concord, CA ·Santa Monica, California · Citrus Heights, CA ·Los Angeles (la), California · Upland, CA · Pico Rivera · West Covina, CA ·San Diego, California · Chico, CA ·Westminster, California · San Clemente, CA · Daly City · Oakland, CA ·Vista, California · Visalia, CA ·Roseville, California · Santa Cruz, CA · La Habra · Rialto, CA ·Hayward, California · Redwood City, CA ·Merced, California · Huntington Beach, CA · Cathedral City · Petaluma, CA ·Union City, California · Burbank, CA ·Inglewood, California · Colton, CA · Cerritos · Oceanside, CA ·Indio, California · Lakewood, CA ·Napa, California · Fairfield, CA · Long Beach · Paramount, CA ·Woodland, California · Corona, CA ·Folsom, California · Lake Forest, CA · Hemet · Anaheim, CA ·Arcadia, California · Costa Mesa, CA ·Highland, California · Davis, CA · Santa Ana

XML Training Classes in Oakland, California

Learn XML in Oakland, California and surrounding areas via our hands-on, expert led courses. All of our classes either are offered on an onsite, online or public instructor led basis. Here is a list of our current XML related training offerings in Oakland, California: XML Training

XML Training Catalog

Course Directory [training on all levels]

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Tech Life in California

training details locations, tags and why hsg

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