I'd like to see a free online version of Microsoft's Visual Studio. I've seen online compilers for many different programming languages. They all have their pros and cons, but I have yet to see one that offers all of the features of Visual Studio. Some of the features that I would like to see are syntax highlighting and a built in debugger that allows breakpoints to be set and single stepping through the code. Perhaps there can be some added features that go beyond Visual Studio such as support for multiple platforms and support for many of the common programming and scripting languages other than the ones that Visual Studio already supports.
There is something similar to an online version of Visual Studio at: http://coderun.com/. It looks like an online integrated development environment and it claims to have native support for C#/.NET (3.5), PHP (5.1), JavaScript, HTML and CSS. It looks like it is geared more towards web development. I don't see any C or C++ support like I suggested, but I haven't gotten into the details yet. This is close to what I suggested. It has the look of Visual Studio's IDE. If it supported more languages it would be exactly what I am looking for.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
Using jQuery
Recently I was trying to figure out how to create some graphics and animations on web pages using JavaScript. After searching on the Internet I found that there are quite a few graphics libraries that can be used with JavaScript. I wasn’t sure which one would suite my purposes. Then I learned about jQuery. jQuery is a JavaScript library that allows you to add graphics and animations as well as many other enhancements to interactive web pages. After going through a couple of jQuery tutorial videos on youtube.com It was easy for me to see just how powerful it can be. I’ve learned some the basics of manipulating text. You can hide text and make it appear by clicking on a link. I’m sure you can add a button to make the text appear to add a more graphical experience to a web page. You can also manipulate how the text appears, such as fading in or sliding in. You can also alter the speed that the text appears. There are more tutorial videos that I wish to go through to enhance my knowledge of jQuery to create some interesting interactive web pages.
Another thing that I learned serendipitously in the youtube tutorials on jQuery was how to create websites using Visual Studio. I’ve used Visual Studio in the past for C/C++ development, but I’ve always used a rudimentary text editor or a program called arachnophilia to create HTML documents. Arachnophilia is a nice free HTML editor. Creating web sites with Visual Studio is very convenient because it makes it easy to identify typos and missing delimiters and also gives you hints about what keywords can be used with certain functions and HTML tags. It also provides references and tutorials for the programming languages that it supports including HTML and CSS.
Monday, July 18, 2011
A Useful Interactive Web Page
I was thinking that maybe an interactive web page dedicated to shopping on family websites may be useful. Say, for instance, that a family member notices that they are running low on milk, bread, or any other thing that is needed in the household he or she could go to the family’s shopping page and add those items. An entire shopping list could be added to the web page. Any other family members that happen to be out and about could check the web page on their mobile device before coming home to see what should be picked up at the store before returning. Perhaps the capability can be added so that they can remove the items from the list as they are purchased.
As I think more about it I see that there are a couple of problems with that idea. First, the webpage would need to be password protected so that it is not accessible to the general public who could add or remove items from the list. Second, how could the information be stored? I did a little googling about how to create files using JavaScript and most of the articles that I've read say that you cannot create files using JavaScript through a browser because that would be a security risk. At any rate, I think it would be a convenience to have an interactive web page that has that capability if JavaScript allows for password protected web pages that can somehow store input information that can be retrieved later from another location.
Creating an Interactive Web Page with JavaScript
This week I've learned how to create an interactive web page using JavaScript. JavaScript is easy to use and provides added capabilities for creating web pages that are lacking in HTML. While HTML allows you to create web pages that are static (what you see is what you get) JavaScript allow you to create dynamic web pages that the user can interact with. JavaScript is similar to the Java programming language, but they are not the same thing. Java was created by Sun Microsystems and its source code needs to be compiled into machine language to create standalone applications that don't require a browser to run. JavaScript was created by Netscape and is mainly used in HTML documents where its commands are interpreted by a browser. Many of the programming structures of Java and JavaScript are similar, but JavaScript uses a smaller command set that is easier to understand. JavaScript code is embedded in an HTML document. It allows for the use of variables and the creation of buttons, text boxes, and other objects that allow users to input information and interact with the web page. Java code is not embedded in HTML documents, but is compiled into a standalone program or applet which is stored in a separate file. HTML can then be used to invoke the standalone programs.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Supersymmetry Part 1
Supersymmetry is a theory of physics that attempts to unify the fundamental forces and subatomic particles of nature. {Super-, superior + symmetry, similarity of form or arrangement on either side of a dividing line or plane}
Supersymmetry tries to make theoretical advances in the Standard Model of physics. The Standard Model is the widely accepted theory explaining the interactions of elementary particles (particles that are not made of other particles) with the fundamental forces in nature excluding gravity. Symmetries in physics refer to the aspects of a physical system that remain unchanged after certain transformations are applied to the system. For example the particles in a group of related particles, referred to as a multiplet, can be shuffled around and interchanged with each other and the mathematical equations applied to that multiplet will remain the same. In other words the mathematical properties of the multiplet remain unchanged.
There are three distinct multiplets of particles in the Standard Model. Each of these multiplets has its own unique symmetry. The symmetries of these multiplets cannot be combined with each other in a consistent manner, although physicists have manipulated the equations to make them fit. Some physicists have admitted that the equations are so ugly and unwieldy that they cannot possibly be right, but it’s the best that they can do with the current knowledge that they have. Supersymmetry is based on the idea that there are other symmetries beyond those already developed in the standard model. Under supersymmetry all of the particles in the standard model can fit into one multiplet. The equations become much more elegant and relatively simple to work with. Having all the particles in one multiplet without their combined symmetries producing inconsistencies in the equations is a major step in advancing what theorists refer to as a Grand Unification Theory. A Grand Unification Theory tries to combine the four fundamental forces of nature into one grand unifying force governed by a larger symmetry. The four fundamental forces of nature are the electromagnetic force, the weak nuclear force, the strong nuclear force and gravity. Gravity is not included in the standard model because it is the weakest of the four forces and has a negligible affect at the very small scale of the elementary particles.
Supersymmetry tries to make theoretical advances in the Standard Model of physics. The Standard Model is the widely accepted theory explaining the interactions of elementary particles (particles that are not made of other particles) with the fundamental forces in nature excluding gravity. Symmetries in physics refer to the aspects of a physical system that remain unchanged after certain transformations are applied to the system. For example the particles in a group of related particles, referred to as a multiplet, can be shuffled around and interchanged with each other and the mathematical equations applied to that multiplet will remain the same. In other words the mathematical properties of the multiplet remain unchanged.
There are three distinct multiplets of particles in the Standard Model. Each of these multiplets has its own unique symmetry. The symmetries of these multiplets cannot be combined with each other in a consistent manner, although physicists have manipulated the equations to make them fit. Some physicists have admitted that the equations are so ugly and unwieldy that they cannot possibly be right, but it’s the best that they can do with the current knowledge that they have. Supersymmetry is based on the idea that there are other symmetries beyond those already developed in the standard model. Under supersymmetry all of the particles in the standard model can fit into one multiplet. The equations become much more elegant and relatively simple to work with. Having all the particles in one multiplet without their combined symmetries producing inconsistencies in the equations is a major step in advancing what theorists refer to as a Grand Unification Theory. A Grand Unification Theory tries to combine the four fundamental forces of nature into one grand unifying force governed by a larger symmetry. The four fundamental forces of nature are the electromagnetic force, the weak nuclear force, the strong nuclear force and gravity. Gravity is not included in the standard model because it is the weakest of the four forces and has a negligible affect at the very small scale of the elementary particles.
HTML Forms
I have done some basic work with HTML in the past, but I did not know how to create forms. This week’s lesson on HTML forms has broadened my HTML skills. HTML forms are a great way for visitors of a website to provide feedback to the website’s owner. I have only created basic forms to complete this week’s assignment, but I will probably experiment by adding color and formatting in the future to enhance my skills. JotForm.com is a website that I had never heard of in the past. JotForm.com makes creating forms extremely easy. I will definitely be bookmarking JotForm.com to go back and learn more about creating forms. From the little amount of time that I spent on that website it seems that I’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg. It looks like there are a lot more tools for creating forms that I would like to explore. It appears that you can create some very interesting forms very easily. I will probably spend many hours playing around and creating forms of all sorts. While JotForm.com allows you to easily create forms I think that learning how to create forms from scratch is very important if you plan on using HTML to create web pages. JotForm.com is a great starting place to get familiar with the different types of forms and creation of those forms.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Skydrive
Windows Live Skydrive is a file hosting service that allows you to upload files to a cloud storage and then access those files through a web browser. You may also share those files with other people or keep them private. Skydrive gives you 25GB of storage, but individual files are limited to 100MB in size. It comes in handy if you’re running low on disk space on your local computer or if you want to share your files or photos with your friends. It is also a pretty good place store backups of your files. If you lose any files or they become damaged you can easily replace them with your backups from Skydrive. Skydrive allows you to access your files from anywhere that has access to the Internet and a web browser. Skydrive also provides online versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and OneNote which is a nice feature. You need a free Windows Live account to log on to Skydrive. Since UMass uses Windows Live webmail you can access Skydrive when you log into your UMass webmail account. Once you’ve logged on to your webmail account go to the toolbar at the top of the page and select the “more” pull down menu and click on Skydrive. More information on Skydrive can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Live_SkyDrive
Saturday, July 2, 2011
The History of String Theory Part 2
In the early 1970s physicists were discouraged when many of their experiments with string theory showed that its predictions were at odds with experimental data. String vibrations produce observable properties that can be seen in fundamental particles, but there were other vibration patterns that seemed to have little bearing in reality. These extra vibrations were soon discovered to correspond exactly with gravitons. Gravitons are particles that have not yet been found experimentally, but can be predicted by physicist. The discovery was not well received by the scientific community and string theory was abandoned by all but a few physicists.
In 1984, after over a dozen years of research and much belittling by their colleagues, Michael Green and John Schwarz produced a paper that resolved the conflicts between string theory and quantum mechanics. The paper also showed that string theory could encompass the four fundamental forces and matter. This period became known as the first superstring revolution. Physicist all around the word joined the research on the theory that they had rejected in previous years.
1984-86 saw thousands of papers published on string theory. These papers showed that the features of the standard model could be logically and naturally derived from the new string theory. A major drawback was that the equations where so difficult that their exact form could not be determined and approximations had to be used to replace their complex forms. Physicist became frustrated with these complex equations and once again abandoned string theory for other projects.
At a conference at the University of Southern California in 1995 Edward Witten announced a comprehensive plan to move past the approximations used during the first superstring revolution. Witten’s plan has sparked the second superstring revolution and will have physicist exploring ever deeper into the complexities of string theory.
In 1984, after over a dozen years of research and much belittling by their colleagues, Michael Green and John Schwarz produced a paper that resolved the conflicts between string theory and quantum mechanics. The paper also showed that string theory could encompass the four fundamental forces and matter. This period became known as the first superstring revolution. Physicist all around the word joined the research on the theory that they had rejected in previous years.
1984-86 saw thousands of papers published on string theory. These papers showed that the features of the standard model could be logically and naturally derived from the new string theory. A major drawback was that the equations where so difficult that their exact form could not be determined and approximations had to be used to replace their complex forms. Physicist became frustrated with these complex equations and once again abandoned string theory for other projects.
At a conference at the University of Southern California in 1995 Edward Witten announced a comprehensive plan to move past the approximations used during the first superstring revolution. Witten’s plan has sparked the second superstring revolution and will have physicist exploring ever deeper into the complexities of string theory.
The History of String Theory Part 1
Theorists have long sought a “theory of everything” that would unify all of the forces of nature along with matter into one mathematical model. Their main objective is to unify the general theory of relativity with quantum mechanics. The general theory of relativity deals with natural occurring phenomena on the very large scale and Quantum mechanics deals with natural occurring phenomena on the very small scale. These two theories are mathematically incompatible. Physicists had developed the “standard model” to try and correct the incompatibilities of the two theories, but many physicists found the standard model to be incomplete. The parameters of the mathematical equations of the standard model have to be adjusted continuously in certain experimentally measured values to make successful prediction.
The incompatibility between general relativity and quantum mechanics has been called the “central conflict” of modern theoretical physics. In quantum mechanics there is a randomness at the sub-planck-length level called the “quantum foam” that destroys the smooth geometric fabric of space-time that is central to the functioning of general relativity. Calculations that attempt to merge general relativity and quantum mechanics produce infinite answers. The impossible results from these calculation prompted physicists to search for a better theory.
In 1968 Gabriele Veneziano, while researching at CERN (a European particle accelerator lab), observed that many properties of the strong nuclear force are perfectly described by a two hundred year old formula known as the Euler beta function. This started a flurry of research in which other physicists noted that nuclear interactions of elementary particles modeled as one-dimensional strings instead of zero-dimensional particles where described exactly by the Euler beta function. This was the beginning of string theory.
The incompatibility between general relativity and quantum mechanics has been called the “central conflict” of modern theoretical physics. In quantum mechanics there is a randomness at the sub-planck-length level called the “quantum foam” that destroys the smooth geometric fabric of space-time that is central to the functioning of general relativity. Calculations that attempt to merge general relativity and quantum mechanics produce infinite answers. The impossible results from these calculation prompted physicists to search for a better theory.
In 1968 Gabriele Veneziano, while researching at CERN (a European particle accelerator lab), observed that many properties of the strong nuclear force are perfectly described by a two hundred year old formula known as the Euler beta function. This started a flurry of research in which other physicists noted that nuclear interactions of elementary particles modeled as one-dimensional strings instead of zero-dimensional particles where described exactly by the Euler beta function. This was the beginning of string theory.
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