Articles by David Bolton
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Getting Started With OpenStreetMap Data
In 2004, Steve Coast set up OpenStreetMap (OSM) in the U.K. It subsequently spread worldwide, powered by a combination of donations and volunteers willing to do ground surveys with tools such as… -
Five Alternatives for Developing Native iOS Apps
The simplest way to join the ranks of iOS developers is to learn Objective-C and/or Swift (the latter, while not quite ready for prime-time upon release, has gotten a lot better with its recent v… -
Why I Choose PostgreSQL Over MySQL/MariaDB
For the past ten years, developers and tech pros have made a game of comparing MySQL and PostgreSQL, with the latter seen by many as technically superior. Those who support PostgreSQL argue that… -
Best Programming Languages for Linux Devs
Ask any knowledgeable developer to name the first programming language they would associate with Linux, and he or she would likely answer C, given the closely aligned history of Unix and C. But i… -
Building a Dungeon Generator in C#
Procedural dungeon generation is a fun exercise for programmers. Despite the crude interface, such games continue to spark interest. A quarter century ago, I wrote a dungeon generator in procedur… -
Are Freelance Developer Sites Worth Your Time?
Many websites allow you to look for freelance programming jobs or Web development work. (Hongkiat.com, for example, offers links to several dozen.) The problem for developers in the European Unio… -
The State of D Programming Language
A large company can push a programming language into the proverbial limelight: Just look at C#, Java, Objective-C and Swift, all of which had major corporate backing. But a few programming langua… -
Scripting Languages You May Not Know
Scripting languages are used in everything from games and Web pages to operating-system shells and general applications, as well as standalone scripts. They allow the harried developer to do his… -
Is Microsoft Truly Embracing Open Source?
Back in the day, Microsoft viewed open source and Linux as a threat and did its best to retaliate with FUD and patent threats. So it must have been galling to its executives as, over the past 20… -
Is C Still Relevant in the 21st Century?
Many programming languages have come and gone since Dennis Ritchie devised C in 1972, and yet C has not only survived three major revisions, but continues to thrive. Large chunks of Windows were…