The five programming languages to learn in 2015

Rupert Goodwins profiles five cutting-edge languages to suit every purpose and most skill levels

Choosing a new programming language to learn is much like choosing a new human language: you have to know why you want to do it to have a good chance of success. In this feature, we’ve picked five of the most interesting new languages to wrap your brain around – ones that have a good chance of remaining significant in five years’ time, and have features that promise intellectual stimulation and the best chance to explore new ideas.

The fallacy of Facebook advertising

Facebook claims it can reach huge swathes of people to promote your business, but Stewart Mitchell finds audience numbers appear larger than they should

Facebook should be an advertiser’s nirvana, providing targeted access to 1.4 billion potential customers across the world. The company’s advertising revenue is ballooning and rates are going through the roof as two million businesses have tried to tap into Facebook’s userbase.

According to research from Kinetic, the cost per thousand impressions has grown 490% to $4.03 in the past year, so businesses are clearly lining up to pay for exposure. But does Facebook really have the audience numbers in claims?

Why Windows 10 won’t make any difference to PC makers

Windows 10 may be good for Microsoft, but it won’t give PC manufacturers much of a boost. Nicole Kobie reveals why

Windows 10 has arrived – but PC manufacturers shouldn’t count on a sharp spike in sales. In the past, the arrival of a new version of Windows has typically sparked a rush of hardware upgrades: after Windows 7 launched in 2009, PC sales saw a substantial boost, according to data from Gartner.

Is The Smart TV Running Out Of Steam?

Mark Pickavance looks at the modern TV, and wonders if the concept has run into a brick wall commercially

As still a regular viewer of TV, I’m happy to accept that I’m part of a shrinking demographic. For example, the notion of a significant portion of the country sitting down at Christmas for a communal TV experience is one of historical interest, but far from a current reality. However much those in the TV industry make Canute-like protestations, the era of classic network TV is dead, buried and unlikely to be participating in a zombie apocalypse.

A Guide To USB Hubs

Need more room for expansion? Have too many devices to plug into your PC? You’ll be needing a USB hub

Ever since its arrival, the Universal Serial Bus (USB) has established itself as the industry standard connector. What started out life as a method of easily connecting computer peripherals has now spread into many more areas of technology, including gaming, mobile phones, home theatre and more. It’s a connector that we see everywhere and USB cables can be found filling up people’s draws of random stuff the world over.