The report makes a compelling case for the adoption of memory-safe programming languages.

This new focus builds on the goal of restoring cybersecurity responsibility and restructuring incentives in favor of long-term cybersecurity investments. Memory-safe programming languages were also included as a goal of the Open Source Software Security Initiative (OS3I), which recently published a new report.

When using a memory-safe programming language such as Rust, Go, Java, Swift, and Python, developers cannot create code that causes a memory error because the language includes specific properties such as memory safety. When developers write code in languages that are not memory safe, such as C and C++, they may inadvertently write code that can cause memory access errors. Instead of the errors being caught at compile time and runtime, as with memory-safe languages, they end up in the final version and cause security problems, writes Jennifer Gregory, an author on cybersecurity topics.

Gregory adds that choosing a memory-safe language significantly reduces or completely eliminates memory-related vulnerabilities. In addition to improved security, memory-safe languages also reduce crashes and allow developers to increase productivity because they don’t need to focus on memory management issues.

The report focuses on getting organizations to focus on two specific areas related to memory-safe languages. In addition, the government wants to focus on creating partnerships with the technical community, especially engineers and developers, to collaborate on making this key change happen.

Although the use of memory-safe languages is recommended, the transition to them is challenging. Many software programs and libraries are based on inappropriate memory protection languages, and rewriting the entire database is often impossible. Starting a new project with a safe programming language represents the easiest way to transition.

Organizations can reduce attacks by rewriting only the critical functions and libraries that are most vulnerable to memory-related errors. Suitable languages such as Rust and Swift are interoperable with C and C++, making this transition easier. However, making the transition requires adequate developer resources. Organizations should start by assessing their existing memory safety language experts and provide training for both current and new developers in this area.

“At Tumba Solutions, we believe in the power of technology and the potential of our people. Our philosophy is rooted in the pursuit of excellence, innovation, and the personal development of our team members. This webinar represents an extension of our ethos, offering our team and the wider developer community valuable insights into making informed investment choices that align with their career aspirations and personal goals”, stated Emo Abadjiev, CEO of Tumba Solutions.

The support of the event is a testament to the company’s dedication to the well-being and success of Tumba team. The company understands that the growth of the company is intrinsically linked to the growth of people. By providing them with opportunities to expand their knowledge and financial acumen, the company is investing in a future where they can achieve their dreams, both professionally and personally.

Are you ready to make an impact? Click here to explore our current job openings and join the Tumba reality today.

The webinar “Tech Wealth: Strategic Investment for Software Developers” is more than just a discussion on financial investment; it’s about empowering software developers to make strategic decisions that will benefit them in the long term. Tumba Solutions is proud to be at the forefront of this initiative, supporting the continuous development and success of the tech community.

Read more:
1. Microsoft Invests €2B in AI Infrastructure in Spain
2. European Commission Investigates TikTok
3. The First Preview of .NET 9 is Available

The main areas of the investigation include topics related to the protection of minors, transparency in advertising, access to data for researchers, as well as mdeanaging the risk of addictive and harmful content.

Giant platforms like TikTok must meet additional requirements in the area of algorithmic transparency and systemic risk. It is precisely these areas of the short video sharing and content creation platform that are currently under investigation by the EU.

While investigating a series of alleged violations, the EC will enhance its requirements for information disclosure by the video-sharing platform.

In a press release, the EU declares that there is no deadline by which the investigation must be concluded. Its duration will depend on various factors, such as “the complexity of the case, the extent to which the company concerned cooperates with the Commission and the exercise of the rights of defence”.

“TikTok has pioneered features and settings to protect teens and keep under 13s off the platform, issues the whole industry is grappling with. We’ll continue to work with experts and industry to keep young people on TikTok safe, and look forward to now having the opportunity to explain this work in detail to the Commission”, said TikTok’s spokesperson in an email to TechCrunch.

The company confirms that it has received a document showing that it is aware of the opening of an investigation by the EU.

The platform also states that it complies with the requirements and sends all the information that is required of it, but has not yet received a response from the EC.

Additionally, TikTok shares that the proposal it made for a meeting between Commission officials and the company’s child protection staff has not yet been accepted.

The EU is concerned about TikTok’s UX, which the EU says encourages content addiction.

“Such assessment is required to counter potential risks for the exercise of the fundamental right to the person’s physical and mental well-being, the respect of the rights of the child as well as its impact on radicalisation processes,” states EC.

The EU will closely monitor whether TikTok complies with the obligations included in the Digital Services Act to introduce measures to provide a high level of privacy, safety and security for minors.

Read more:
1. Less than Two Months to the FISSION International Science Festival
2. Kong Introduces Six New AI Plugins in Kong Gateway 3.6
3. Equinix Announces Fully Managed Service for NVIDIA DGX AI Supercomputing

Princeton University

Samsung Research America (SRA) has joined Princeton University‘s new NextG Corporate Affiliates program, reports Telecoms News. The program brings together industry and academia for the sake of research in 6G wireless networks and related technologies.

“The best academic research to help realise the promise of future wireless networks is informed by close interactions between faculty and industry technology leaders. Our NextG program aims to foster those deep collaborations around wireless technology, as well as policy, that are required to drive meaningful innovation and global leadership in an era of rapid change”, said Andrea Goldsmith, Dean of Princeton’s School of Engineering and Applied Science.

The NextG initiative was launched last year at Princeton’s School of Engineering and Applied Science and aims to increasingly advance innovation in networking, sensing and other key areas that will be the foundation of next-generation data infrastructure.

“We encourage Princeton’s researchers to continue innovating and develop potentially disruptive 6G technologies,” said Dr Charlie Zhang, SVP at SRA.

With SRA chairing key 6G standardization groups, the company is now in a position to quickly translate Princeton’s insights into broader ecosystem developments.

With the new partnership, Samsung aims to take wireless networks into a new era in which 6G promises significantly higher speeds, lower latency and expanded opportunities for new mobile applications.

Read more:
1. GitHub Opens New Group for AI-Focused Open Source Projects
2. Voltron Data Releases Ibis 8.0, Developers Will Write Code Only Once
3. CEO’s Amazon Prime: “I Have no Plans to Adjust the Prime Team”

“The first generation of Fortify Audit Assistant was well ahead of its time with its use of predictive analytics and machine learning,” said Prentiss Donohue, cybersecurity executive vice president at OpenText.

“Those pioneering efforts paved the way for us to derive 10 years of data from human experts and turn them into predictive models that are significantly more accurate compared to the previous generation’s models, improving efficacy in auditing by reducing false positives up to 90%. Enterprises can now leverage this depth of information—something no one else in the industry can provide—within their own software assurance programs”, he added.

With this technology, OpenText highlights the need for advanced application security tools and practices, addressing the pressure security teams face to ensure software integrity and reliability from the start.

Key updates to Fortify Audit Assistant include the ability to account for model shifts, the flexibility to learn from a company’s unique environment, expanded model expertise through language specification, and the ability to account for nuances of scan results.

The tool also aims to streamline developers’ work by allowing them to focus on addressing the most critical vulnerabilities.

According to OpenText, the advanced auditing process is a direct response to requirements for more efficient application security testing, which is too time-consuming and requires manual processing of static analysis results.

The new generation of Fortify Audit Assistant will integrate security considerations into the earliest stages of the software development lifecycle, starting right from code creation. This will help in building software systems that are not only robust and reliable, but also inherently secure.

The tool uses machine learning technology to automate the security audit process, learning from the experience of Fortify’s human auditors. This application of AI is being identified as a strategic move to address the shortage of expertise available for manual verification, which is resource intensive and impractical for many organizations.

Fortify Audit Assistant promises to significantly reduce the overhead associated with hiring teams of software engineering, computer science and cybersecurity experts, the company explains.

Read more:
1. Allen AI Institute Launches Fully Open Large Language Model
2. From Harvard Students to Users Around the World: Facebook turns 20
3. How to Invest our Money if we are Beginners?

The news comes after Jenson Huang’s statement at the annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference that “This year, every industry will become a technology industry.”

The talk, which took place in San Francisco, followed a J.P. Morgan conference presentation delivered by Kimberly Powell, NVIDIA’s vice president of healthcare. In her talk, Powell announced that Recursion is the first hosting partner to offer a foundation model through the NVIDIA BioNeMo cloud service, which goes into beta this month.

Drug Discovery with Generative AI and NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD

Kimberly Powell also shared that Amgen plans to advance drug discovery with generative AI and NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD – and that BioNeMo is being used by a growing number of technology companies, pharmaceutical companies, AI software providers and system integrators. These include Deloitte, Innophore, Insilico Medicine, OneAngstrom, Recursion and Terray Therapeutics.

From chip design to drug design

Healthcare customers and partners invest over a billion dollars in NVIDIA GPUs each year – directly and indirectly through cloud partners.

NVIDIA’s founder and CEO traced the company’s involvement in healthcare to two research projects that caught his attention some 15 years ago. One at Mass General used NVIDIA GPUs to reconstruct computed tomography images, and another at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign applied GPU acceleration to molecular dynamics.

“It opened my mind that we could apply the same methodology that we use in computer-aided chip design to help the world of drug discovery go from computer-aided drug discovery to computer-aided drug design,” he said, realizing that, “if we scale this up by a billion times, we could simulate biology.”

Jensen Huang further explains that after 40 years of advances in computer-aided chip design, engineers can now create complex computer systems entirely through simulation. In the next decade, the same may be true for AI-mediated drug discovery and design.

Collaborating on the Future of Drug Discovery and Medical Instruments
NVIDIA is propelling the field forward by building state-of-the-art AI models and powerful computing platforms, and by collaborating with domain experts and investing in techbio companies.

“We are determined to work with you to advance this field,” Huang said, inviting healthcare innovators to reach out to NVIDIA. “We deeply believe that this is going to be the future of the way that drugs will be discovered and designed.”

The company’s pipelines for accelerated healthcare include algorithms for cryo-electron microscopy, X-ray crystallography, gene sequencing, amino acid structure prediction and virtual drug molecule screening. And as AI advances, these computing tools are becoming much easier to access, Huang said.

Because of artificial intelligence and the groundbreaking work that our industry has done, we have closed the technology divide in a dramatic way,” he said. “Everybody is a programmer, and the programming language of the future is called ‘human.’”

“A medical instrument is never going to be the same again. Ultrasound systems, CT scan systems, all kinds of instruments — they’re always going to be a device plus a whole bunch of AIs. The value that will create, the opportunities you create, are going to be incredible”, Huang said.

Beyond drug development, this transformation to a software-defined, AI-driven industry will also advance medical instruments.

With the new year upon us, you may be wondering if your programming skills are still in demand or if you should consider changing fields or upgrading your qualifications to build a successful career in the tech industry.

Hundreds of programming languages have emerged over the years, each with their purpose, whether they make it into the top 10 most popular or retain a more modest fame.

Which of these languages have withstood competition and challenges over time, and which are worth learning? Today, we bring you seven programming languages that are likely to remain in demand in 2024 and into the future.

The most in-demand programming languages in 2024

Python

Adored for its flexibility and speed of development, Python has steadily climbed the programming language charts over the past few years. It’s considered a good choice when working with artificial intelligence and, according to Statista, is the third most used language in 2023 after JavaScript and HTML/CSS.

TIOBE, on the other hand, currently ranks Python as the most popular language. Skilled software engineers who know Python well are in demand right now and will continue to be throughout the year.

Java

According to a survey of 14 million developer jobs earlier this year, Java is the third most in-demand programming language. Widely used in everything from web development to cloud computing, IoT applications and large-scale enterprise tools, it is generally seen as a language that offers excellent job security, making it the ideal choice.

PHP

Primarily used for website development, PHP skills continue to be in demand in the job market. Over 77% of websites still rely on it, and one in 10 programming jobs require its use.

C++

Due to its versatility and exceptional performance, C++ maintains its position as one of the most widely used programming languages.

Its extensive use in the gaming industry and for system-level programming, especially in scenarios where interactions with hardware are vital, contributes to the consistent demand for C++ developers across various industries. This enduring popularity ensures robust job security for professionals proficient in C++.

Kotlin

Well-regarded for both Android and cross-platform app development, Kotlin enjoys support from Google, which declared it an official language for Android development in 2017. Since that announcement, its popularity has continued to steadily increase.

C#

As a pivotal language in the Microsoft technology stack, C# finds applications in constructing web apps, Windows desktop apps, and in-game development. It remains consistently sought after by both small organizations and large enterprise-level businesses. If you’re familiar with a classic language like Java, you’ll find the C# syntax is quite familiar, making it a valuable language to enhance your skill set.

JavaScript

Due to its versatility, JavaScript is poised to maintain its status as one of the most sought-after programming languages. Predominantly employed for front-end web development (utilized by over 98% of all websites in various capacities), it plays a crucial role in crafting dynamic, interactive content for every tech device you engage with, spanning from your laptop and phone to your smart TV.

“The past year has brought to the world an almost unparalleled and diverse array of technological change. Advances in artificial intelligence are accelerating innovation and reshaping the way societies interact and operate. At the same time, cybercriminals and nation-state attackers have unleashed opposing initiatives and innovations that threaten security and stability in communities and countries around the world”, Brad Smith, vice chair and president of Microsoft, wrote in a blog post.

The Secure Future Initiative consists of three main components: defences that use artificial intelligence, advances in software engineering, and international norms to protect civilians from cyber threats.

In the realm of artificial intelligence, the company aims to establish an “AI-powered cybersecurity barrier” geared towards safeguarding both customers and nations. The company is actively enhancing its internal protective capabilities, with the intention of applying these technologies directly to bolster customer security.

Furthermore, there are plans to leverage AI in addressing the existing shortage of cybersecurity professionals, which stands at approximately 3 million individuals. A key player in this endeavor is the Microsoft Security Copilot, utilizing AI for the detection and response to security threats. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint will also harness AI-driven detection mechanisms to enhance device security.

“As a company, we are committed to building an AI-based cyber shield that will protect customers and countries around the world. Our global network of AI-based datacenters and use of advanced foundation AI models puts us in a strong position to put AI to work to advance cybersecurity protection”, Smith wrote.

Microsoft is set to enhance its security stance against identity-based attacks by refining the user, device, and service verification procedures throughout its product range. To achieve this, Microsoft intends to transition to a novel key management system with an architecture that renders keys inaccessible in cases where the foundational security protocols are compromised.
The ultimate objective within this framework is to slash the time allocated to addressing vulnerabilities by half, all while promoting greater transparency in event reporting within the industry.

Lastly, the company is committed to promoting wider global adoption of security measures. This commitment follows the company’s establishment of the Digital Geneva Convention in 2017, which outlined a framework of “principles and norms governing the conduct of both state and non-state entities in cyberspace.” While acknowledging the progress made by many governments since then, the company believes that going forward, a more comprehensive and overarching commitment is imperative.

Top 10 C++ Books for Advanced

Modern C++ Design
This book, written by Andrei Alexandrescu, is considered to be one of the best books on modern general programming techniques that contains in-depth information on C++. What this book includes and why it is so popular among professionals:

• Teaching policy-based design, type lists, and basic idioms of general programming;
• Explains many useful design patterns that include small object allocators, functors, factories, visitors, and multimethods that can be implemented efficiently, modularly, and cleanly using generic programming.
• Strives to make C++ programming simpler and teaches heavy use of patterns to make code flexible and reusable.
• Includes features such as unified initialization, type traits, and smart pointers that are useful for designing a safe and high-performance C++ application with reduced resources and high code reusability.

Professional C++
Professional C++ was written by Marc Gregoire. It improves existing C++ competencies quickly and efficiently. It provides a complete comprehensive overview of the new features of C++20 and provides a detailed explanation of each feature of the updated programming language with examples. The book also provides case studies that include extensive, working code. It helps to maximize the capabilities of C++ with effective design solutions.

The C++ Standard Template Library
This book is written by P. J. Plauger, Alexander Stepanov, Meng Lee and David Musser. It would serve as an excellent guide to C++ that would help you increase productivity as well as improve software quality. Its core container classes and fundamental algorithms, in addition to a clean, efficient, and elegant framework for C++ development would serve you well. The book describes each component of the standard C++ template library, techniques for using that component, and has hands-on exercises included.

Programming: Principles and Practice Using C++
This book is written by Bjarne Stroustrup and helps programmers to sharpen their programming skills. The evaluation of this book is as follows:

• The best practices for structuring the code are mentioned in it that can help the programmers become an expert.
• It discusses both object-oriented programming and generic programming.
• It provides a robust foundation for the C++ programming language.
• It starts with a C++ programming introduction and moves to core concepts like objects, types, statements, functions, errors, vectors, classes, and I/O.
• It comprises problem exercises and examples to help programmers to grasp the concepts quickly and effectively.

C++ components and algorithms
This book is an advanced C++ programmers guide written by Scott Robert Ladd. The book provides an in-depth understanding of under-documented C++ concepts. This book comes with a CD that contains all the code from the book, which is an added advantage for programmers.

C++ Programming: Program Design Including Data Structure (Seventh Edition)
D.S. Malik, a professor of mathematics and Ph.D. candidate at Ohio University, is the man who created this book. In it, you will find a student-centered, time-tested description of C++ program design concepts and data structures. Within the table of contents, you will find full-code examples that help programmers understand how and why to apply programming concepts to solve a specific problem. Each chapter concludes with useful exercises to guide practice.

Effective C++
When he wrote this book, Scott Myers had the full intention of providing the best book on C++ for experienced programmers. The book provides over 50 best practices and rules along with explanations for programmers in a very accessible way. A detailed explanation of class design (efficient in nature), clear functions, patterns and most importantly inheritance hierarchies.

The book also explains the ways in which the C++ language differs from other coding languages such as C#, Java, or C, etc., enabling a better understanding of dealing with problems the C++ way. And although the book is not the latest, the advice given to programmers in it is still applicable.

Effective Modern C++
Written by Scott Myers, the book is presented in the form of guidelines rather than rules, given that guidelines have exceptions. This book offers advice with rationale. The content of the book helps programmers to analyze whether their projects meet the guidelines of this book or not. This book gives a deeper insight into the working patterns of C++.

C++ Standard Library, The: A Tutorial And Reference 2nd Edition
The idea of the author of the book Nikolay M. Iosutis, a system architect and technical lead, offers programmers comprehensive documentation for each component of the library, including an introduction to its purpose and design.

The book presents practical programming details needed for effective programming. It also includes signatures, important classes and functions, and many examples of working code. The book contains various topics such as Standard Template Library (STL), check containers, iterators, function objects, etc.

C++ Concurrency In Action
The author of this book is Anthony Williams. It is considered a great book for experienced C++ programmers or for people who have a desire to become expert C++ programmers.

According to the fans of this book, concurrent development and its various aspects are explained beautifully. The complete procedure for creating new threads and writing multithreaded algorithms and data structures is also explained in its contents. And in the chapters you will come across detailed examples for better understanding. If you want to solve some examples, you can try the practice problems provided after each chapter. The informative insights provided can give you a better hand in solving real situational problems.

It’s no secret that one of the favorite things about .NET and C# developers are flexible. They can be used for applications ranging from desktop to web and mobile development. They are also an ideal choice for creating cloud applications.

Facts about .NET

• NET is a software development framework created by Microsoft that provides a platform for developing and running applications across several operating systems, such as Windows, macOS, and Linux.
• .NET was first introduced in 2000 and has since evolved into a set of powerful tools and frameworks for building modern and reliable applications.
• .NET supports a rich set of programming languages, including C#, Visual Basic, F#, and others.
• .NET has a large library of prebuilt classes and functions, known as the .NET Framework Class Library, which improves efficiency in application development.
• The .NET runtime is known as the Common Language Runtime (CLR), which manages the execution of .NET applications and provides features such as memory management, security, and exception handling.
• .NET is open source and cross-platform

Why is .NET development with C# gaining popularity among developers?

Cross-platform development
With C# and .NET, you can create applications that have the capability to run on multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, and even on mobile with iOS and Android. You can reach a wide audience and build applications that can be used on different types of devices.

Integration with Microsoft products
Mastering C# and .NET makes it easier to develop and deploy applications on the Microsoft platform, which is ideal if you’re working for companies that rely heavily on technologies such as Azure and Visual Studio. These skills can also enable you to work on the future of AI models, such as Microsoft’s ChatGPT and Bing AI, which are increasingly gaining prominence in many industries today.

Scalability
C# and .NET are highly scalable technologies suitable for small and large applications, including desktop, web, game, and mobile apps, making them ideal for enterprise-level applications. This versatility also means that you can use these technologies to build any type of application to best suit your and your organization’s requirements.

High demand in the job market
C# and .NET developers are in high demand among startups and big tech companies alike. Employers are always seeking developers with expertise in .NET and C# since these technologies are now frequently used in enterprise-level applications. Given this demand, investing your time and effort in mastering these skills can set you apart and substantially increase your chances of securing employment, even in today’s uncertain economy.

Active community of developers
C# and .NET have a large and active developer community that provides a host of resources for learning and development, including online tutorials, forums, and documentation. So whether you’re a beginner or an experienced developer, you’ll be able to find ample support to help you learn and grow.

Easy to learn
C# is a relatively easy programming language to learn, especially if you are already familiar with other object-oriented programming languages such as Java or C++. Its simple syntax is designed to be both powerful and type-safe, so you can start creating applications quickly and efficiently without relying on a steep learning curve.

If you’re interested in a career with .NET, be sure to check out the opportunities here.