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Information technology industry progresses in a very fast pace as IT is of high demand currently. Old technology, best practices are often replaced by new ones within a few years. This means there is no safe haven in IT. The only way to keep your rice bowl is to upgrade existing skills and pick up new skills, make your resume as interesting as possible to the future employers.
This how-to is about how to learn a new programming language fast, it also applies to learning any IT skill. Everyone knows what's best for him/her to learn a new programming language as a result of experience from the past. This is because everyone has his/her own unique learning style. By adapting to this learning style, one can make maximum learning efficiency.
This is the last update to TypingAid version 1.x which addresses the problems of tooltip blocking and antivirus false alarm. A Unicode version of the program is also added for support of languages with Unicode characters. Meanwhile TypingAid 2.x and BlitzType are under intense testing and development. When they have reached a stable stage suitable for general users, we will release them. The primary new feature of TypingAid 2.x is the word learning function and its performance was much improved after code optimization. BlitzType will have multiple-suggestion tooltip and external dictionary support.
The Swedish word list is updated to include more words. 2 new word lists are uploaded too: Brazilian Portuguese and Russian. A TypingAid user has asked me about the difference between TypingAid and BlitzType. Both of them are text autocompletion programs and productivity programs maintained and distributed by Artwinauto.com
TypingAid is originally a small and nifty program I found and improved on. I spent time on distributing it, hopefully to bring awareness to the advantage of autocompletion tool as a text expander alternative and to draw traffic to my site. However the response is overwhelmingly good, much to my surprise. Two software developers besides me are interested in working on it, so we have regular stable release. I intend to make it free for all time, partly because of many's wishes, and I do not hold sole copyright of it in order to commercialize it. Perhaps I could also collect donations for me and the 2 developers.
On the other hand, BlitzType is my own project. It's a more ambitious one with many carefully planned features and is designed to be more advanced, more applicable than TypingAid. I intend to experiment with some crazy ideas for instance, machine learning and speech recognition. This approach will put in much innovation, but a regular stable release is not possible. The program is also very flexible and can be turned into say, a thesaurus program with some tweaking, because it's meant for commercialization originally. If a decent funding is obtained, I could also release it in both free version and commercial version. TypingAid is a conservative approach to make an autocompletion software, and BlitzType is an ambitious one. Newest TypingAid 1.2 now has some of the requested features. Thanks to maniac @ AutoHotKey forum and those who gave their feedback. Meanwhile I have created a poll about BlitzType, if you like our typing autocompletion programs, please help us to answer the question of the poll. (Poll is closed)
Why the question? The TypingAid program has proven useful to many and we have received many feedback. It's fascinating to learn that there are many different ways to use the program. However, very few know that the script has been around and developed for as long as 5 years on AutoHotKey forum.
A freeware author is often enthusiastic on his/her creation to a limit, because he/she can't devote full-time into it, (with some exceptions). An open-source project often needs commercial backing for it to turn into success. Some active distribution and promotion methods are needed to let more people know about a project. It's not unusual that TypingAid was left relatively unnoticed for 5 years.
Therefore it's my desire to attract more developers to work on BlitzType, and make the development process faster (6 months instead of 5 years to complete), hopefully build a community around it, offer a more responsive email as well as community technical support, introduce the programs to more people, publish more useful articles on the blog. The ultimate goal is to let more people benefit from TypingAid & BlitzType. To do that, I need $$.
So as not to create any bias in your mind before you attempt the poll. I shall comment no further. Please take some time to ponder and give an answer based on your own judgement. Thank you very much.
BlitzType is a predictive text completion software for Windows, designed to reduce repetitive typing in text input. It can be used as a learning aid or typing aid for users who have difficulties typing normally, or to reduce keystrokes when working with a list of lengthy technical terms or commonly typed words and phrases. It is an on-going project currently under beta, the software will have features unique in its own way, compared to other commercial offerings in the market. It focuses on prediction and learning capabilities.
The software is now open to public for testing and feedback. Since it is still at beta version, it is advisable to backup your data before testing or only test it on a non-priority machine. The minimum requirement for running BlitzType is a Windows XP system or above on a machine with Pentium III 1GHz processor and 512MB RAM. New release: 0.95
(If you have an older version, fresh install is required) Features of BlitzType: Auto-complete words and phrases in any window. Automatically learn from typing. On-demand or always show suggestion. Multiple suggestions in the tooltip. Different ways to auto-complete, including 'text expand'. AutoCorrect. Portable.Coming features: Support European languages with accents. Management of learned phrases. Better control of tip position.
If the program does not start, you might need MS VC++ runtime or
It's good to have one lightweight text editor that runs faster and consumes less memory than a word processor or an IDE because very often we just want to jot down something or make some changes real quick. What we need is something that can do more than the default windows notepad.There are a few choices of notepad replacement out there, we fancy Notepad2
Python codes usually have fewer lines compared to codes written in other languages owing to its concise syntax. By having the code in a clean and readable form, it is easier to follow, debug, maintain and reuse. As a result, Python gained the reputation of being one of the most productive languages. Here are 6 ways how Python programmer can achieve a task but type less in the process.
How do I learn programming from scratch? Which programming language should I choose? Which programming language is the best? These are the questions I often hear or see in forum postings. Usually the person who asked the question had zero programming experience and wish to learn programming real fast. When we are faced with so many choices: Java, C++, PHP, Ruby on Rails, .NET, surely we want to find which is the best.
As much as the questions posted, the answers I often hear are that it doesn't matter which one you choose, all of them have the essential features that you need to pick up, or that there is no best programming language. In fact, this answer is wrong. There is a best language for starter. It's called
TypingAid is a simple, compact and handy auto-completion utility for Windows. It is a free and open-source software licensed under GPL. New release: 2.15
I'd like to share with you a program TypingAid, to demonstrate how auto-completion tool could help to improve typing speed and productivity, as well as to reduce the risk of RSI (Repetitive strain injury). With proper set up, TypingAid could also be used as a typing aid for language learners and computer users affected by conditions such as Dyslexia, learning / writing difficulty, hand disability, Repetitive strain injury, etc. Features of TypingAid: Auto-complete words and phrases in any window. Auto-learn words as you type. Support European languages with accents and Unicode characters. Show suggestion listbox, no toolbar used. Add words and phrases to word list with shortcut key. Fast and memory-efficient. Portable, no installation needed.
TypingAid is made with AutoHotKey
New users please read Quick Guide and check Known issues below to get started.
Google Chrome is a browser innovation developed with Google philosophy: Chrome has amazing javascript rendering speed ("Fast is better than slow"), a relatively simple and uncluttered graphical user interface, strong stability and a handy collection of developer tools. These features gradually made Chrome a favorite alternative after its inception. To compete with its competitor Firefox, Chrome still has many things to learn from it. We list out 6 features that Chrome ought to have in order for it to become a more productive browser suitable for people who browse for a living.
Google Wave is an online communication and collaboration tool that has a potential to increase team productivity. A few days ago, we published an early preview of Google Wave. Now a news article on LA Times came out after Google's private demonstration of Google Wave. They said more or less the same thing, that it won't be easy cleaning up a massive project with a deadline that's only two months away. Nevertheless, it is an ambitious project of its kind and deserves some support. Last week, we got the chance to try out Google Wave  , the next-generation online collaboration tool, through developer preview acccount. Google Wave project was launched in May 2009 with a promise that it will revolutionize online communication. It may have caught your eyes, if you are looking for a collaboration software to connect your employees or collaborators and improve the productivity of your business process. It also can be used as a social-networking tool. It is now still in the development stage and open only to selected audience. Can they deliver?
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