What is HTML5 ? HTML5 is considered the fifth iteration, or version, of Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). All Web designers use it, even if they don’t really realize they are. HTML5 builds on the previous coding standards with the addition of certain improvements. The earlier days of HTML HTML was originally designed with the purpose of interconnection in mind. Back in the earliest days of the Internet, few formatting options existed, and scrolling through a single document was similar to reading an encyclopedia. Tim Berners-Lee, the recognized father of HTML, designed the language to enable researchers to cut down on the amount of documentation needed. HTML wasn’t about displaying documents with formatting, but rather linking one document to another. The effect reduced a 15-page specification document to 15 one-page documents all linked together, effectively removing the need for scrolling through countless pages of text. How HTML5 connects modern Internet users HTML5 is still founded on the original goal of interconnectivity. However, now that the language has evolved and the capabilities of HTML have extended to include audio and video elements, HTML5 is nothing more than a logical evolution of the older language. The use of HTML5 allows Web designers to pull images, audio, and video directly into a Web page. The differences of HTML5 HTML5 is a large step forward for the Web design world as it allows for increases in functionality. This is for three specific reasons, all of which revolve around the functionality of individual Web pages. Web pages no longer need to look or act like Web pages. The availability of Flash allows designers to overcome the limitations of standard HTML, integrating animations and visual effects into a full Web page design. Entire sites can be designed with Flash, allowing for new methods of navigation and page organization. Web pages no longer need to represent a single individual or business’s content. The permeation of the Internet and multimedia resources effectively created a mishmash of shared content. Websites like YouTube and Vimeo make available Web content for sharing, while also acting as extensions for a company or individual’s content repository. For example, many individuals have YouTube channels that house their personally-created multimedia. Web pages now function intelligently and adapt to the display parameters of different devices. HTML5 is most often used on mobile devices. This isn’t due to its mobile support, but rather that mobile no longer has issues reading HTML. Now that tablets and smartphones are able to display all of the same media as regular desktop computers, they are thus privy to the same interconnections as computers. HTML5 has effectively bridged the gap of connecting most every device in use by modern consumers. HTML5 moves away from the limitations HTML5 introduces a paradigm that moves away from the old limitations of HTML. The language provides a strong working set of tools and effects, allowing the creation of websites comparable to those produced using Flash. The upside of this transition is quite noticeable as text is selectable in HTML as opposed to Flash, individual pages can be bookmarked, and website owners can regain control of maintenance on their website.

They are both similar and quite different depending on how you look at them. First their lineage: Java is an Object Oriented Programming (OOP) language created by James Gosling of Sun Microsystems. JavaScript is a scripting language that was created by the fine people at Netscape and was originally known as LiveScript. JavaScript is a (very) distant cousin of Java in that it is also an OOP language. Many of their programming structures are similar. However, JavaScript contains a much smaller and simpler set of commands than does Java. It is easier for the average weekend warrior to understand. You may be wondering what OOP means by now. Object Oriented Programming is a relatively new concept, whereas the sum of the parts of a program make up the whole. Think of it this way: you are building a model car. You build the engine first. It can stand alone. It is an engine and everyone can see it's an engine. Next you build the body. It can also stand alone. Finally, you build the interior including the seats, steering wheel, and whatnot. Each, by itself is a object. But it is not a fully functioning car until all the pieces are put together. The sum of the objects (parts) make up the whole. Continuing with the model car example, when you built the engine, you didn't use any of the parts that would later build the seats (a 350 four-barrel engine with a seat belt sticking out if the piston would look pretty silly). The point is that all the parts that made up the engine were of a certain class of parts. They all went together. Ditto with the body and then the interior. The point is that in these languages, you build objects out of classes of commands to create the whole. Understand the terminology? Good. Moving along... Java and JavaScript are Still Two Different Animals Now let's talk about how Java and JavaScript differ. The main difference is that Java can stand on its own while JavaScript must (primarily) be placed inside an HTML document to function. Java is a much larger and more complicated language that creates "standalone" applications. A Java "applet" (so-called because it is a little application) is a fully contained program. JavaScript is text that is fed into a browser that can interpret it and then it is enacted by the browser--although today's web apps are starting to blur the line between traditional desktop applications and those which are created using the traditional web technologies: JavaScript, HTML and CSS. Another major difference is how the language is presented to the end user (that's you when you're surfing). Java must be compiled into what is known as a "machine language" before it can be run on the Web. Basically what happens is after the programmer writes the Java program and checks it for errors, he or she hands the text over to another computer program that changes the text code into a smaller language. That smaller language is formatted so that it is seen by the computer as a set program with definite beginning and ending points. Nothing can be added to it and nothing can be subtracted without destroying the program. JavaScript is text-based. You write it to an HTML document and it is run through a browser. You can alter it after it runs and run it again and again. Once the Java is compiled, it is set. Sure, you can go back to the original text and alter it, but then you need to compile again. Java applets run independent of the HTML document that is calling for them (and Java is also what runs many appliances and mobile devices, and does not require a web browser). Sure, they appear on the page, but the HTML document did little more than call for the application and place it. If the programmer allows it, oftentimes parameters can be set by the HTML document. This includes the background color of the applet of the type of text it displays, etc. The delivery of the applet is done through a download. The HTML document calls for the application, it downloads to the user's cache, and waits to run. JavaScript is wholly reliant on the browser to understand it and make it come to life. The Benefits of JavaScript In my opinion, JavaScript's main benefit is that it can be understood by the common human. It is much easier and more robust than Java. It allows for fast creation of web page events. Many JavaScript commands are what are known as Event Handlers: They can be embedded right into existing HTML commands. JavaScript is a little more forgiving than Java. It allows more freedom in the creation of objects. Java is very rigid and requires all items to be denoted and spelled out. JavaScript allows you to call on an item that already exists, like the status bar or the browser itself, and play with just that part. JavaScript is geared to web pages. Java is geared toward where it is needed most at the time. Both will create great web page events. Both can offer interaction between the user and your Web page. But they are not created equally by any means. So to answer the question of which to use where... use whichever fits your needs. That sounds like a cop-out answer, but remember that the applets and JavaScript are most often offered on the Net as fully functioning items. You simply grab them from the Net and use them on your page (provided you are given permission). There are many, many sites out there that do nothing more than hand out applets or JavaScript. Gamelan.com is a good one for applets. Take a look at javascripts.com for over 2300 free JavaScript scripts. The HTML Goodies Applet and JavaScript Tutorials will teach you how to implement these items on your pages. They will not teach you to write the languages, but rather instruct you on placing functioning applets and JavaScript scripts on your Web pages. It is a good introduction to the formats. Once you know how to get these pups on your pages, you'll understand more about their structures and can then more easily attempt to learn the language and create functioning JavaScripts or applets yourself.

A Full Breakdown Of The Newly Introduced iPad In case you’ve been out of the country, living in a cave, or captured by a super villain with an underground lair and no TV for the past week, you may have heard there’s a new iPad about town. Here’s a full rundown of the new device that will hopefully answer any questions you have. In short, it’s very much an iterative upgrade, with a better screen, faster Internet, better graphics chip, better camera. No Siri, no Haptic feedback, and nothing drastically altered. Read on if you want to know the specifics. It’s Called The “iPad” The naming of the iPad 3 vs iPad HD was a hot topic for a few weeks, but it turns out everyone was wrong. They’re just calling it the new iPad. A lot of tech commentators seem to find this confusing because they may be misinterpreted to mean the original iPad, but I suggest ignoring folks who worry about things like that. Expect other products to be named as such in future (i.e., the next iPhone will be iPhone. Not iPhone 5). Retina Screen Though not quite as high pixel density as the iPhone screens that began with the iPhone 4, the new iPad has a screen resolution of 2048 x 1536, resulting in a pixel density of exactly 264 pixels-per-inch (compared to 326 on the iPhone 4, and 132 on the original iPad). Basically, it’s double the resolution of previous generations, which means apps can be scaled easily without visual artefacts. Third party apps will need to be updated to take advantage of this for graphical elements, but as always, text in any app will be automatically rendered at the new resolution. This is certainly going to make the iPad a much more pleasurable eReader, especially for character-based languages such Chinese and Japanese. Colours are also more saturated. Cameras The front camera hasn’t been updated – it’s still a “FaceTime”, VGA resolution, expected to be used for video calling only. The rear camera has been basically pulled over from the iPhone 4S, with all the fancy lenses and a backlighting element, at a resolution of 5-megapixels. Used as an HD 1080p video camera, it captures 30 frames per second and does video stabilisation automatically. It’s a seriously high quality camera, especially when you combine it with the new iPhoto app that Bakari will be reviewing soon. This example photo was taken on the new iPad. Connectivity LTE is included this time, only functional for US owners for now but we may get it here in the UK in 2013. The model with mobile data capabilities (referred to as 4G) also offers a fair number of other mobile access options as follows: EV-DO = 3.1Mbit/s HSPA 7.2 = 7.2Mbit/s HSPA+ = 21Mbit/s DC-HSDPA = 42Mbp/s LTE 4G = 73Mbp/s Note that US-residents considering LTE, you must choose your carrier beforehand as there are two different models for either Verizon or AT&T (though both models can be used internationally with a local SIM or roaming) As before, a wifi-only model is available for $130 less than the 4G model. Voice Dictation It’s certainly a little disappointing not to see a full Siri implementation on the iPad when the hardware can clearly handle it, but for now Apple has given us voice dictation. Pundits suggest this is either because Apple’s Siri servers aren’t quite ready to handle more Siri requests, or because Apple wishes to keep it as the iPhone 4S’s primary selling feature Processor A new A5X chip powers the iPad – it’s quad core, and up to twice as fast as the A5. This is of course required to handle the 4 times more pixels in the screen, so expect actual performance to feel as fast as the iPad 2 (only, looking better). Battery Life This remains the same – 10 hours regular use, 9 hours on 4G. Size and Weight Oddly, the new iPad is a tiny bit thicker and a tiny bit heavier than the iPad 2 – 9.4mm compared to 8.8mm; and 652g vs 600g. You may notice the slight weight increase if you’re coming from an iPad 2. While most cases will fit, expect issues with any hard-shell types. Pricing The existing established pricing structure remains, starting at $499 for the 16GB wifi-only model. The full pricing table is below: Pre-orders have already begun and will be shipping on 16th March, though by the time you read this, pre-order stocks may already have gone. iPad 2 Stays On Sale Apple will continue to sell the iPad 2 at $100 cheaper than the new iPad, starting at $399. It’s still an amazing device, and this will help Apple to combat the spate of lower cost Android devices. Unless you’re set on getting the Retina screen and use the camera a lot, the iPad 2 might be more suitable. Summary There’s nothing particularly innovative or drastically different about the new iPad, if you consider the fact that the iPad has always been a fairly amazing device and the screen resolution upgrade was inevitable. However, this is the best iPad yet – a gorgeous screen, a fantastic camera, and certainly the most powerful processor in any tablet to date. It’s an iterative upgrade, and it keeps the iPad on top of the game as still the best tablet around, bar none. Personally I would say it isn’t worth upgrading from an iPad 2 unless you really do a lot of reading on the device – and bear in mind your iPad 2 is still worth a lot in the second hand market to soften the financial blow of the upgrade. I have already pre-ordered mine though, to take the place of my beloved iPad original. If you’ve yet to purchase an iPad and aren’t ethically against the entire Apple ethos in principle, then now is certainly the best time to buy. Let us know in the comments what you think of the new iPad and whether or not you’ll be ordering yours.

The motherboard, or system board, contains the central processing unit (CPU), BIOS, other processing chips, memory, IO device connections, expansion slots, and more. Over the years, the motherboard has increasingly taken more functions from what was historically installed as expansion cards. For example, many computers you buy today have all of your typical input connectors (keyboard, mouse, USB), and added in Firewire (IEEE1394), video, network, audio (input and output), IDE, SCSI, SATA, and more. The primary purpose of the motherboard is to process instructions from the operating system and applications. The processing is performed by the CPU which we will discuss in the next section. The motherboard stores active information in the memory and facilitates sending data to the hard drives through the drive interface. Motherboards are not typically considered a field replaceable unit by consumers, but is replaceable by a certified vendor technician. A field replaceable unit is a component which is able to replaced in the field – not requiring the computer be sent in to be repaired. For example, a hard drive is replaceable while a CPU is not. There are many different motherboard vendors and thousands of different types of motherboards. A motherboard is unique to a certain chipset and family of processor. For example, a vendor might create one motherboard which is compatible with the Intel Socket 370 series of chips and a different motherboard which is compatible with AMD’s AM2 Sempron series of chips.