Huawei has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation with ABB, a global leader in power and automation technologies. (more…)
September 8, 2016
Posted by: Avadhoot Patil
The meteoric rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) has been well documented, writes Theresa Bui, the head of enterprise product marketing at Cisco Jasper. (more…)
Posted by: George Malim
Kuruvilla Mathew, the CIO at Ness Digital Engineering, discusses the changing landscape for IoT standards. (more…)
September 7, 2016
Posted by: George Malim
Trusted Objects is aiming to provide enhanced security to the Internet of Things (IoT) through its embedded firmware solution for LoRaWAN™ networks. (more…)
September 5, 2016
Posted by: Avadhoot Patil
The Weightless SIG announced the availability of Weightless-P hardware and the pre-launch of a Weightless-P Software Development Kit. (more…)
Posted by: Avadhoot Patil
Ian Hughes, an IoT Analyst at 451 Research discusses the complexities faced by software developers in an increasingly fractured technical landscape.
The 1980s programmer/developer
I started programming, self-taught through magazine listings and experimentation in the 1980’s, at home on a ZX81, later at school and university. Companies hired and trained programmers, based on small sets of preferred languages, COBOL, PL/1 and C. Design methodologies evolved to try and allow for specification of software projects at a higher architectural level. User interfaces were few and far between, mostly created in panel editors left for junior developers to put onto the green screen monitors.
The 1990s programmer/developer
We saw a drive towards object orientated languages and event processing systems. Legacy languages were still needed but Smalltalk and C++, with their added engineering rigor, became fashionable in the mid 90’s. The desktop personal computer arrived and started to bring windowed systems, richer user interfaces, which divided the profession into ‘client’ or ‘server’ developers. Programmers were still programmers though, learning the methodologies of Rumbaugh, Booch, Jacobson et al. Engineering relied on more frameworks, middleware and class libraries.
The 2000s programmer/developer
The web disrupted the programming industry status quo. Firstly, with a new set of protocols, markup languages, browser plugins and server interactions and the number of potential users ramped up from hundreds to millions. Very little tool support existed to deal with how to present a Web page, the interactions on it or connecting to a backend. The user interfaces became critical, they provided a brand touchpoint, required graphic and audio design skills, information design and blending with the traditional technical side of projects. Secondly the Web provided a vehicle for many more people to engage with software engineering and to share ideas. The magazine listings of my youth were now amplified as living projects with open source collaborations enabling lots and lots of projects, prerequisites and constant change.
The 2010s programmer/developer
The wild west of the web gradually started to be tamed and engineering rigor returned with the advent of cloud hosting. Companies not looking for programmers but for Full Stack developers. People who know a little about a lot of parts. The Full Stack trend began with the Web, needing to know HTML, CSS, PHP, Java, JavaScript, HTTP protocols, MySQL/ NoSQL etc. combined with library management systems, security requirements, testing and also be able to create for mobile platforms, touch interfaces and hooking up to Facebook, Twitter and any other social media platform. Agile development added yet more things to be expert in. Forever patching runtimes bringing its own challenges too, no more launch and forget.
Today’s programmer/developer
The Internet of Things (IoT) is making that Full Stack a lot higher and more difficult to balance. IoT brings physical computing to the mix. If any developer thinks users mess up their wonderful pristine development, wait until devices being impacted by temperature, sunlight, atmospheric conditions and water start delivering constant streams of data across a multitude of communication mechanisms to server-less computing based cloud processes. Each of the millions of devices or products are remote, together they provide a large attack surface for hacker intrusion. Early IoT was about simple sensors and actuators, now IoT end points are rich compute platforms too, they connect to larger edge servers that collate and gather data for the backhaul to a cloud server. Understanding what function needs to be deployed where, in a complex distributed feedback loop, is difficult. Developers have to consider the new system components such as machine learning and self-organising interactions of Blockchain between devices. User interfaces alter dramatically with Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR & AR) and new types of device to interact with. Organisational silos are crossed as data from one IoT system feeds an Artificial Intelligence (AI) from another. Operation Technology departments start to cross over with Information Technology groups. IoT blurs many boundaries.
Future programmers/developers
At 451 Research we cover and keep up with the multitude platforms and protocols that make up the IoT industry. There is an industry gap for methodologies, and then design tools, to evolve with common patterns and use cases. Starter kits of hardware with backend connections are common appealing to Full Stack developers in the enterprise. Proof of concepts rush to plug things in, which is the IoT expression of the Minimal Viable Product.
It may sound all doom, gloom and scarily confusing, but as I tell the next generation when I give talks, there is huge opportunity to flourish and build on the skills and aspirations they have. Full Stack is an appreciation of breadth and a willingness to go with the flow, to adapt. IoT is a great enabler for those who may not be equipped to be a traditional programmer. Equally those with that skill can find intricate niches and create wonderful things.
Posted by: George Malim
Huawei has launched what it claims is the first full-scenario Agile Controller 3.0 (AC 3.0) in the industry at HUAWEI CONNECT 2016. (more…)
September 2, 2016
Posted by: Avadhoot Patil
The Internet of Things is a moderately new term that came into the industry alongside progress. Humanity has learned how to build complicated systems. Modern technology forces various things to interact with each other. These things are usually produced by different manufacturers. Networks expand and become messy, writes Alex Seryj, the editor in chief at QArea. (more…)
Posted by: George Malim
Wirepas and u-blox, a global provider in wireless and positioning modules and chips, have partnered to offer an advanced decentralised radio communications solution (comparable with advanced mesh technology) for demanding industrial Internet of Things (IoT) applications. (more…)
August 29, 2016
Posted by: Avadhoot Patil
Ralph Goodman, a professional writer and the resident expert on locks and security at the Lock Blog continues his article on how homeowners can protect themselves from the threats posed by IoT. (more…)
August 26, 2016
Posted by: George Malim