10 Popular Backend APIs

Most application users are familiar with the front-end, or client-side, of an application, because that is the portion of the application users can see. But there is more than meets the eye for web and mobile applications. For most applications, all kinds of activities, including most user interactions, take place behind the scenes, in the back-end ("backend"), or server-side, of an application.

Any dock tutorials for android?

I see countless of so call "docks" or "toolbars" that all share the same features:

  1. they only take up part of the android screen
  2. they can be collapsed and popped up by a single fingertip (either on the side or as an icon in the notification bar)
  3. they show up recent/favourite apps

The reason why I want to create my own "dock" is because I try to either find or create a such dock that shows - not your favourite apps, not your recent apps, but - all open/running apps. Like the icons you see in taskbar of windows. or like the "overview" you get by pressing the square button in the bottom right corner. when you kill an app / free an app from memory, the app should then dissappear from the taskbar. when you open a new app, the new app should appear on the task bar.

The reason why I need such an app is because it's very frustrating when you open apps and forget that after you press the home button, until the phone gets slow and you just realized that you have 40+ apps taking up memory in the background. and since every active app in the overview is a window and not an icon, You will have to scroll tremendously whenever you just want to switch from one app to another.

Is there any dock with the "running apps" functionality as I described at all?
Is there any tutorials on just how to create a simple dockbar?

I did alot of android development many years ago but still don't see myself as an expert on the subject on android programming, so if there is an solution on google play that I just haven't found after 100 searches and around 10 app installments, I would be more than happy.

Salvaging .Net’s HttpClient

If you read my previous article, it's easy to become frustrated. HttpClient is at the core of everything we as software developers normally do when we integrate our stuff with other people's stuff. Somebody sounding the alarm, telling you that it's fundamentally broken, might result in everything ranging from a general concern about ones own code, to flat out panic attacks. Hence, I figured I'd be an asshole unless I also showed you an alternative.

Paradoxically, fixing HttpClient is very easy, it's just to cut away everything in it that's dangerous, and encapsulate everything that's beautiful about it into a much safer API, making it impossible for developers to retrieve the instance to the HttpClient you're using internally. Basically, treat most of HttpClient's API as if it was cancer, and salvage the rest. Here's a much safer version in case you care. For the record, to understand this class, you have to read my previous article here at DZone.

To Output An “X” Pattern On Screen Window

Hi dear forum members,

I am brand new in C programming and have to program an "X" as homework (see attached picture).
The edge length of the "X's" should be entered by the user, ie the "X" should be arbitrarily large or small.

Can someone help me with the task?

So far I have the following code: