NodeOS: The JavaScript Based Operating System

Unlike other JavaScript development tools, Node.js is developed as a cross-platform runtime engine. It interprets JavaScript code using Google’s V8 JavaScript engine. The V8 JavaScript engine converts JavaScript code into native machine code. But Node.js enables web developers to write both front-end and back-end code in JavaScript. Also, it uses a fast, consistent and dependable package manager like npm to make it easier for developers to specify and install project dependencies without putting extra time and effort.

The web developers also have option to avail NodeOS, a lightweight operating system designed based on Node.js. The project was initially introduced by Jacob Groundwater in 2013. Jacob Groundwater has already made release candidates of NodeOS available to developers for testing and bug detection. Hence, the developers will soon have option to use version 1.0 of NodeOS in production environments. However, it is also important for the developers to understand the key features and technologies that make NodeOS different from other operating systems.



Overview of Key Features of NodeOS

Developed on top of Linux Kernel
The lightweight operating system in designed on top of the Linux kernel. It uses the Linux critical to accomplish a variety of performance critical tasks including hardware interactions. The developers can run the applications written by targeting Linux operating system on NodeOS with minimal changes.

Uses Node.js as Its Primary Runtime
Unlike other operating systems, NodeOS is written in JavaScript. It uses Linux kernel to accomplish most performance critical tasks. But it used Node.js to accomplish all remaining tasks. So the users can take advantage of various features and tools provided by the cross-platform runtime engine. Also, they can manage project dependencies efficiently with npm.

Uses npm as Its Primary Package Manager
NodeOS further aims to extend and enhance the functionality of npm as a robust package manager. As the operating system uses npm as its primary package mangers, the developers can use any npm package as a NodeOS package. Hence, the users have option to use more than 244,180 packages. Also, they can easily avail the new npm packages being updated by other developers on a regular basis.

Different Layers of the Operating System
The core NodeOS is divided into a number of layers including barebones, initramfs, rootfs and usersfs. Each layer has its own structure and file system. Barebones include the custom Linux kernel and initramfs. As the initram file system, initramfs facilitates mounting of users partitions and booting the system and Node.js REPL. At the same time, rootfs includes the read-only partition images require for hosting the Linux kernel and initramfs files, whereas usersfs contains the multi-user file system used by conventional operating systems.

Keeps the System Secure
NodeOS allows each user to work with isolated file systems. Each user can further use a distinct file system hierarchy to install the packages globally. When a hacker accesses the operating system through a specific user account or profile, he will be able to access only the partition of the specific user. He will lack all options to access the partition of other users. Hence, no hacker can completely affect the security of the entire system.

Aims to Run on Many Platforms
The developers of NodeOS aim to make the lightweight operating system run on many devices and platforms. Hence, users will have option to run NodeOS on their personal computers and other real hardware. At the same time, they can also run the operating system on virtual machines, cloud platforms, containers and PaaS providers.


The developers can gather information about the release date of NodeOS 1.0 from the release roadmap posted on Github. They can further consider using the lightweight operating system to build responsive applications by leveraging the features of JavaScript. But many analysts find it difficult to review or evaluate NodeOS properly as it is still a work in progress.
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Why Would Companies Hire JavaScript Developers?

Companies are of late putting more emphasis on hiring JavaScript developers. The businesses are nowadays spending a good deal of money, time as well as efforts to recruit talented, especially the younger and fresher ones mainly for their quality of expertise and because of the fact that they are in tune with the latest technology and trend of development.

Now, there are a number of reasons why modern businesses are putting their money on JavaScript developers.

The primary reason why businesses bank on these is their background education. Most of candidates have a bachelor's degree in software engineering, computer science, information technology and other degrees that are pertinent with the niche of business that is run by the companies.

However, certain businesses put more emphasis on the experienced, rather than the degrees they possess. That is a different issue altogether though.

Businesses put money because of a solid understanding of the software development life cycle which these professionals have. Plus, they have a strong concept - a fact that augments their programming skills for the client-side as well as server-side languages. This is extremely important as not every project or client needs only JavaScript but the ancillary programming platforms as well. Moreover, when it comes to personal traits, these professionals have extremely strong analytical skills along with trouble shooting expertise - a fact that comes in extremely handy in software development. Moreover, they have the needed psychological getup to work in sync with others in a team. That is itself a reason enough for companies to hire them.

Apart from all these issues, good to know their responsibilities and have an excellent professional outlook that make all the difference. The majority of the JavaScript development programs are particularly designed as well as developed for web-based along with different server-based applications that are generally used on web sites and computer systems.

After development, it is necessary to evaluate the programs properly. A good developer would also have the expertise to evaluate these programming scripts and hence, companies hire them to cut costs as a programmer will be able to develop as well as evaluate the scripts. They are also expert in testing the language extensively to see whether it is functioning properly before it is handed over to the client. They also ensure that the script is totally free of bugs.

These professionals, especially the fresh pass outs have an extensive knowledge on the latest Java Virtual Machine or JVM languages and this helps them complete the tasks faster. They are also are expert in building an application that will make the language simpler. This at the end of the day saves a lot of money for the companies.

The key for the companies is to look for the best engineers who are involved in the software development community so that they are in tune with the latest technology and are fresh from the point of view of concept-creation. This is to make sure that the businesses get maximum return from the investment they put on JavaScript developers who are the mainstay of business development.

Experts are not only skilled and experienced, but they are proficient in other languages as well, like c, C++, Net, Python, Joomla and so on. They have impeccable skills. So, though hiring such a professional is quite cost-effective, taking into account today's inflation, still companies vie on them as this pays off in the short as well as long run subsequently. However, in order to save costs of late companies are growing a propensity of hiring offshore professionals instead of employing individuals on a full time basis. These professionals offer maintenance as well as other ancillary services at no additional costs and this helps the companies to cut costs to a large extent.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9301392
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The Pros and Cons of Using Node.js

At present, JavaScript is the much more popular than other client-side programming languages. As a cross-platform runtime environment, Node.js enables developers to run JavaScript on the web servers. But Node.js is different from other commonly used JavaScript frameworks. It interprets the JavaScript code through Google's V8JavaScript engine.


Also, most basic modules of the open source runtime environment are written in JavaScript. So the web developers can use Node.js to use JavaScript for developing both frontend and backend of web applications. However, it is also important for the web developers to understand the major advantages and disadvantages of Node.js.

Advantages of Using Node.js

Use a Single Programming Language: As noted earlier, Node.js enables developers to write server-side applications in JavaScript. So the developers can use the runtime environment to write both front-end and back-end of a web application in JavaScript, without using any server-side programming language. As JavaScript is supported by each web browser and server, it becomes easier for businesses to deploy their web applications more effectively.

Easy to Scale: The developers have option to scale the Node.js applications in both vertical and horizontal manners. They can scale the application horizontally by adding extra nodes to the existing system. Likewise, they also have option to add more resources to individual nodes while scaling the Node.js application vertically. These options make Node.js more scalable than other JavaScript frameworks available in the market.

Delivers Improved Performance: Node.js executed JavaScript code through Google's V8 JavaScript engine. The engine compiled the code written in JavaScript into machine code directly. So the code is executed in a faster and more efficient way. Also, the runtime environment increases the code execution speed significantly by supporting non-blocking I/O operations.

Supports Caching: The open source runtime environment further supports caching of individual modules. Each time a module is requested for the first time, it is cached in application memory. Hence, the application can load the cached modules quickly without requiring the module code to be re-executed. The caching feature enables the application to load web pages and respond to user requests more quickly.

Supports Commonly Used Tools: While using Node.js, the developers have option to take advantage of several commonly used tools. For instance, they can test the source code of Node.js application repeatedly using Jasmin and similar JavaScript unit testing frameworks. Likewise, they can specify and install project dependencies more efficiently by taking advantage of a robust package manager like npm. Also, they have option to use grunt as an efficient task runner for the project.

Highly Extensible: In addition to supporting several commonly used web development tools, Node.js is also highly extensible. Its open source nature further makes it easier for programmers to customize and extend Node.js according to their specific needs. Also, they can use JSON to facilitate data exchange between the web server and the client. Despite being lightweight, Node.js comes with built-in APIs for developing HTTP, TCP, DNS and similar servers.

Facilitates Real-Time Application Development: Node.js is used widely by developers for building real-time and multi-user applications like games and chats. The runtime environment manages many concurrent connections efficiently. Similarly, it takes care of multi-user requirements through event loop. It further uses websockets simplify and speedup bidirectional communication between the web server and the client. As the websockets run on TCP, the overhead on HTTP remain unchanged.

Disadvantages of Using Node.js

Lack of Robust Libraries: Unlike other modern programming languages, JavaScript lacks a strong standard library. The users also do not have any option to avail common libraries for image processing, object-relational mapping (ORM), database operations, and XML parsing. Many developers even find the available JavaScript to be unstable and inadequate. Hence developers often find it difficult to accomplish common programming tasks while using Node.js.

Unstable Application Programming Interface (API): Many programmers complain that Node.js API keeps changing at frequent intervals. Sometimes the new API comes with a number of backwards-incompatible changes. The backwards-incompatible changes make it essential for programmers to make changes to the existing code base to make it compatible with the latest version of Node.js API.

Asynchronous Programming Model: To enhance scalability, Node.js requires programmers to adopt an asynchronous programming approach. Many developers find the asynchronous programming model to be more complicated than linear blocking I/O programming. Also, the model makes the code look messy and compels coders to rely on nested callbacks.

Not Suitable for Large and Complex Web Applications: At present, Node.js does not support both multi-threaded programming. So it queues the incoming requests and executes them sequentially at the time of processing long running tasks. The process increases the time required by an application to respond to user requests. Likewise, many programmers find it difficult to use the runtime environment for computational intensive tasks.

On the whole, the JavaScript developers can take advantage of the features of Node.js to write a variety of server-side and networking applications and real-time Web APIs in JavaScript. But it is also important for users to keep in mind major shortcomings of the open source runtime environment to take advantage of its features effectively.
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Is JavaScript used only for Web Application Development?

At present, JavaScript is the most widely used client-side programming language available in the market. According to the usage statistics posted on various website, it is currently being used by more than 90% of websites. The advanced tools like Node.js further enable programmers to use JavaScript for server-side application development. Also, JavaScript has been updated at regular intervals to meet the latest trends in software development. The developers also have option to use specific frameworks to create desktop applications and mobile apps with JavaScript. There are also many developers who prefer writing a variety of applications in JavaScript.



Using JavaScript for Desktop Application Development
There are a number of tools that enable developers to create desktop applications using commonly used web technologies like HTML, CSS and JavaScript. The programmers also have option to choose from a number of frameworks including Electron, AppJS, Chrome App, and NW.js.

Electron: The open source framework from Github enables developers to build desktop applications using HTML, CSS and JavaScript. The desktop applications developed using Electron further runs on major operating systems like Windows, Linux and OS X. Electron further simplifies desktop application development by providing features like Windows installers, native menus and notifications, debugging and profiling, automatic updates and crash reporting.

AppJS: Like Electron, AppJS also helps developers to create cross-platform desktop applications using popular web technologies like HTML, CSS and JavaScript. It further allows programmers to create a variety of desktop applications using HTML 5 APIs. AppJS further uses Node.js to facilitate development of networking and real-time apps with JavaScript. The users can further install and download AppJS in a faster and simpler way.

Chrome App: The Chrome App enables developers create desktop applications using HTML, CSS and JavaScript that run on Windows, Linux and Mac OS X. But it does not require programmers to write code for each platform individually. So the developers can build and maintain a single code base to create applications that run on any operating system that supports Google Chrome. The developers can additionally use Chrome App for Mobile to extend the application to popular mobile platforms like iOS and Android.

NW.js: NW.js enables developers to create desktop applications using HTML5, CSS3, WebGL and JavaScript for Windows, Linux and OS X. In addition to supporting the Node.js APIs fully, NW.js further calls these Node.js modules directly from the document object model (DOM). Also, the tool provides a number of features to simplify packaging and distribution of the application across different platforms.

However, it is important for the developers to compare these tools according to the specific needs of each project, and pick the one that complements all business requirements.

Using JavaScript for Mobile App Development
With more and more people accessing websites on their smartphones and tablets, it has become essential for developers to adopt responsive web design to make the website look good on each device. So many developers nowadays build websites and web applications using HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript to make them more responsive and mobile friendly. Likewise, JavaScript, along with HTML5 and CSS3, is also used widely for development of cross-platform and web-based mobile apps. The developers also have option to use a number of specialized tools to build a variety of mobile applications with JavaScript.

Based on the nature and requirements of the mobile app, the programmers have option to choose from several mobile web application development tools including PhoneGap, Rhodes, Ionic, jQuery Mobile, Sencha Touch, Lungo, jQT, Jo and Junior. Each of these frameworks helps programmers to create mobile apps using HTML, CSS and JavaScript. But the features and tools provided by individual frameworks differ. That is why; it become essential for the developers to pick the right mobile web application development tool according to specific needs of each mobile app development project.

However, the programmers must remember that JavaScript is not a high-level and compiled programming language. As an interpreted programming language, it lacks many features and functionality provided by other modern programming languages. So the developers need to use HTML, CSS and other frameworks, libraries and tools additionally to create desktop applications and mobile apps with JavaScript.
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