Facebook's New Programming Language : HACK

It is called Hack but it has little to do with hacking. It is a new programming language designed by Facebook that lets programmers build complex websites and other software quickly and without many flaws.
"We can say with complete assurance that this has been as battle-tested as it can possibly be," Bryan O'Sullivan, the Facebook engineer behind the language, said in a statement.
Experts say Hack is a new version of PHP -- the language Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg used when he started building Facebook.
Hack too runs on the Hip Hop Virtual Machine but it lets coders use both dynamic typing and static typing. For the next decade, Zuckerberg and his rapidly growing company continued to build their site with PHP.
But as a PHP site grows, you need far more computer servers to run the thing than you would with other languages and it can be difficult to manage all your code and keep it free of bugs.
Hack makes it easier to manage code and eliminate errors. It provides these benefits without slowing down the developer. Unlike other statically type languages, Hack can run without compiling.
"You edit a file and you reload a web page and you immediately get the feedback. You get both safety and speed," O'Sullivan added.

Things to be considered while developing Mobile Application

Every business big or small cannot neglect the power of connecting with their customers. There are various ways by which you can keep your brand in focus in customer’s mind. One of them is by building an app. Not only does it help in brand building, it also helps you in giving a better and rich experience of your service / product.

There are various reasons for creating your app like you want to make it an “extension” of your business or you want to make it your main business. Whichever may be the reasons, there are some common mistakes made by the newbie in this field, which you might want to avoid.

1. Not understanding the cost involved

So, you want to develop an app? Good. But do you have clear idea about what are the various costs involved? Here are few: UI Design Cost (one time), App Development Cost (one time), Apple / Google Play Developer License Cost (recurring annually) , App Marketing Cost (recurring), App Maintenance / Upgrade Cost (recurring), etc. Failing to understand and estimate this would lead to costly mistakes later on. So, plan and budget these costs before you start anything.

2. Trying to Save money at wrong places

Never ever try to save money by shopping for cheap and inexperienced UI designer or programmer. All money that you spend on UI design / programming is your investment. If you try to save $1 in UI design / programming, you will end up spending $10 in marketing. So, try to get the best your money can buy for these two aspects of your app.

3. Neglecting the power of Social media

Make sure you have Social Media (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, etc.) integrated in your app. Their power to spread the word about your app is tremendous. Any money spend here is your marketing money saved.

4. Spreading too much without understanding the audience

It’s important to know which devices are being used by your target users. If 80% of them uses an iPhone (for example), then it makes little sense to also develop the app in Android – at least not initially when you are looking to recover your development cost.

5. Not clear idea about how to monetize the app

“Everyone in my industry is making an app, so I should also make an app.”
Wrong. If you do not have any clear idea about how the app is going to help your business make money, then you will regret your decision to create the app. Have clear idea about how you are going to utilize your app to make money. Will it be free app based on Ads or will it be paid app? Or free app with in-app purchase? Think about this before you start.

6. Switching developers frequently

I have seen this happen many times. If you try to keep on changing your developers, then you will end up with code which in the end will become too complicated for anyone to handle. So, whenever possible, try to avoid switching developers.

7. Neglecting on testing the app

If you think you can do away with only your developer testing the app, then you are wrong. In the end, it’s your app. Your developer will try to find and resolve most of the bugs of the app. But he won’t be to test it from user perspective, which probably you can.

8. Not realizing the value of marketing

Why would anyone see and download your app when there are almost a million other apps available? That’s when marketing comes into play. You shouldn’t expect your brilliant app to do well without any marketing. Your job does not end with creating that beautiful app. You need to market it as well or you will end up losing your investment.

9. Failing the dumb user test

When you create the app, try to give it to the dumbest person you know and watch how he/she uses it. Your app should be so easily and intuitive in order to succeed in the market. Tons of features in the app would be useless if the users do not know how to use them.

Tips: Adding starting instructions overlay on how to use the app, can be useful in educating the users on how to use the app. Short videos and help section are useful too.

10. Adding all features in one shot

So you are planning to have total 10 features in the app and you want to release all these features in your initial version. Think again. If you give everything you have in the first place, what will you have to offer later on? Because in today’s market, if you want your app to succeed, you need to keep on add new features in them to have your users interest in the app. So, have big features in the initial release and then keep on adding small features on weekly basis and updating the app on the Appstore. That way your app will keep on coming in the list of apps sorted by release date.