Expected features and enhancements of Rails 5

"Rails right from its inception, has received overnight popularity and love from the industry and the developers as well. With the in-built integration with Ruby, the framework is simply awesome; in fact, we can say it’s a duo i.e. language-framework concept and first in its kind on the earth. Ruby on Rails, as a web application framework, is widely appreciated for the components that it highlights. The model view controller structure not just persuades the use of web standards, but also focuses on the use of other popular software engineering patterns and paradigms – be it the Active Record Pattern or Convention over Configuration. And now, Rails Core Team has taken a further step in fortifying the cross-platform web application framework by giving a preview into the Rails 5. Here, we’re listing out some expected features and enhancements of Rails 5 (although, the new version will entail Ruby 2.2.). Industry is anxiously waiting for the next version of Rails i.e. Rails 5 because there are lots of hopes and expectations associated with the rails 5. Let's see few of our assumptions and expectations from Rail”.

Integration of Rails API: The new version is expected to amalgamate rails API into its core configuration, hence enabling the use of Rails as an easy-to-use JSON API. This will also simplify the process of creating an API for any JavaScript application. This will simply eliminate the use of Heavy JS APIs for their application instead railAPI will serve the purpose in an optimized manner. Web projects that take help from emberJS, BackboneJS etc for RESTFUL design can get a relief by the introduction of rail API and it will take all the necessary processes into consideration for a successful API call. However, users would be required to have Ruby 2.2.1 or above before they move to Rails 5.


Turbolinks 3: In the world of smart web browsers; it is really difficult to deal with multiple constraints that arise due to excessive use and production of wide variety of devices that are having no proper hardware specification or potential. Along with that, these devices used to take the help of mobile networks for the browsing purpose i.e. 2G, 3G or even GPRS. So, it is really a challenge to make each and every web app page load faster by reducing its size and making it dynamic and asynchronous. For this purpose, the framework rolls in Turbolinks 3 to resolve the trepidation of sluggish web applications. The addition is anticipated to help users hold onto most of their web pages and selectively update certain sections through partials. While this shares similarity with SPA in a way, the feature aims at eliminating the hassle of slow web page reloads. In return it will not only improve the overall user experience but also the look and feel of the web app will move to a next level.


Action Cable: The highly anticipated Action Cable should be making its way to Rails 5 – hence, developers who felt a dearth of WebSocket support can definitely look forward to this one! Action Cable is a part of Rails 5 (as publicly announced by Rails), hence now there is no more worry for multiple instance applications especially while dealing with live web communication. Suppose you are going to add a live chat application to your Rails app; then this can be well handled by Action Cable which is simply can be integrated to client side JS and back-end Ruby program. Ruby on Rails development, for certain, provides all the tools that a developer would require in order to design a great application. However, this new feature will bring forth an incredible performance boost among the community. It will make the application much more effective without any need to integrate websocket!


Rake Tasks: Several things are likely to go simpler, including the Rake Tasks. The upgrade will enable users to perform all Rake tasks using just Rails. Although the new facility is analogous to the previous versions of Rails, it is expected to ease the process of task optimization for many developers out there. It is highly effective when we need a cron to run in a periodic manner for our web application. In this process, your application will be loaded with up-to-date database data to se5rve the users in a more effective way. rake db:reset and rake db:seed are the core of this concept. These two components makes the cron proces much hasslefree than before. With reset; the db will reset and with seed the db will be modified with the latest data.In previous versions of Rake, terming was restricted to only alphanumeric characters – beginning with an underscore and so on. The new version, however, aims at roping in the prospect of entitling partials using any character. Rails 5 will let users use any character post the underscore. The Rails team has also taken off its helper methods like div_for & content_tag_for and has transferred them to a separate part ‘record_tag_helper.’


Action Pack: Just like MVC architecture, Rails has some inbuilt similar concept through its Action Pack. Action Pack consists of two major parts i.e. Action View and Action Controller. It is quite similar to that of View and Controller of MVC. Now, every request of Rails will be handled by Action pack. The Action Pack then divides it into part segments i.e. Action Controller and Action View. Action Controller instructs the Action View which data to display and which to hide. By this process, the core logic or analysis is performed by the Action Pack and the entire event is handled smoothly with Action Controller and Action View. Developers may look forward to the new Action Pack, which will basically focus on generating accurate routing information. And, this will come straight from the Rails backend. It includes the working concept of Action View and Action Controller.


Render from Anywhere: The route of render_anywhere also gets a tweak. Earlier, users would have to use render_anywhere in order to deliver any views outside of controller. The new Rails 5 takes that away and lets users render their views from anywhere. Moreover, users will be able to benefit from the newly added ‘assigns’ function as well. That will allow users to pass instance variables to templates.

Mindfire Solutions has one of the largest certified ROR developers team while have successfully executed more than 100 projects for its clients across the globe. Take a look at our RoR development projects and decide for yourself whether you want to hire Mindfire Solutions as your trusted software development partner.

How safe it is to hire an App developer from an Offshore Software Development Company

Technology experts have highlighted the pros and cons of outsourcing development work and have also debated on its downside. There have been many eye opening instances which are worth mentioning. The topic has been of prime importance to folks in working worldwide.

Cost plays an important role in taking the decision. Labour expenditure is controlled when work is outsourced to markets not having a higher wage rate thus, taking advantage of affordable cost. Why should one pay in-house developer $150 per hour when you could get the same work done for a half of original cost. Ultimately, you could use the cost savings to make bigger, more advanced apps.

On the whole, comparing per hour costs isn’t as telling as one might assume. Firms also take into account while outsourcing software development and encouraging other businesses to follow the practice to deem the time related to evaluating an overseas venture. Highlighting extra costs points to missing forgone costs and often gives the contradicting standards. Research indicates that 62% of overseas IT ventures costs much more than what businesses predicts.

As far as Short Term projects are concerned, the most sought after benefit of outsourcing is to bring an expert from the foreign market without having to pay for long term thus making use of professional expertise in a big way with slight affiliation costs. Sometimes you really need someone with expert skill to be around the project as value of qualification supersedes the cost benefit. Another benefit of hiring off shore consultant is that you avoid any short term cost that would have been incurred, had there been the need to formally set the office. This may look imprudent but many developers don’t like to be around people while working. This hampers their ability to concentrate and have negative effect on their overall performance. They deem office environment to be major cause of distraction. With lunch, chatter, and continued distractions, there is little time left for developers to get actual work done at the office.

Consequently, this usually means developers must work way more hours than necessary, which hurts conscience and company’s values.Consultants who work for full time have also proved to be cost beneficial as they are missing opportunity costs for working with you and would have worked for someone else part time earning more money. Employer seems to be getting more benefit this way as compared to developer thus proving loyalty. They are giving time and energy into your business and would have a shared interest in the outcome and that’s huge. They are less likely to bail for a number of reasons and, if the fit is good, will be long term players.Consultantssitting around you know what’s happening and could be helpful in many ways than a part timer. More brainstorming sessions could happen instead of waiting for an allotted meeting time. This would encourage casual conversation which could help extract new ideas. They also professionals and know what difficulties other functional areas are facing and could offer potential solutions boosting confidence.

Outsiders inherently elaborate success in terms of securing clients, succeeding in projects and handling multiple tasks at the same time. While owners view the success differently and define it by building businesses that generate revenue and capturing markets. A freelancer (especially one who is outsourced) will be of help for not very long and would be more inclined to take care of personal interest.

Mindfire Solutions, 16 year old IT software solutions provider from India has been addressing the three points of worry in Offshore software development and satisfying clients across the globe. If you want to hire the services of this software services provider, send in your requirements to sales at Mindfire Solutions dot com.

What is near-shore software development?

Organizations today are trying their best to reduce average cost of production and increase their profit margin or in some case give price relief to their customers. With the increase in competition levels around the world firms are looking left and right to increase their productivity levels and generate more revenues. However this may sound easy but in truth it takes a lot of thinking and managerial input. One method adopted by organizations to reduce their budding cost levels is the concept of outsourcing software development. Outsourcing software development has three different layers; Onshore, Offshore and Near-shore.

The term near-shore was first introduced back in 1998 when an American software development company decided to set up business in the Caribbean island of Barbados. Near-shore software outsourcing is an easier alternative to offshoring since it enables the organization to take advantage of lower costs (but potentially not as low as offshore) but with a close physical location, easy communication and the same time zone. The use of near-shore software development method can help negate certain drawbacks of outsourcing. One of the potential drawbacks of outsourcing was the lack of communication between the firm and the hired client. To eradicate or minimize this risk, the methodology of near-shoring was adopted. This would allow the firm to employee a contractor that is in a relatively close proximity to the parent firm and operates in similar time zones. Therefore, by adopting the method of near-shoring the firm can build a better communication network and incorporate relevant and appropriate feedbacks.

However the issue with using the method of offshore outsourcing is that the firm can face language barrier problems, and due to the long distance the quality of communication gets hampered. With the increase in geographical distance, the time zone varies further handicapping the quality of communication between the firm and their outsourcing partner. In this regard, most of the companies adopting near-shore outsourcing methods try and work around the possible communication barrier by making changes to their organizational culture are adopting a more flexible organizational hierarchy where the outsourcing partner is incorporated. Hence, they try and look for new market segments or development source that is in closer proximity and allows for ease of access.

Near-shoring allows an organization to operate in an environment which they are completely familiar with. It is essential that an organization is aware of the macro and micro environment workings of the country where the organization is planning to near-shore. With similar time zones, language, work ethics and labor laws, the organization can ensure a smooth working environment.

Countries and companies that view themselves as near-shore position themselves as offering some of the benefits of offshoring (namely cost reduction), while mitigating other difficulties—especially those imposed by distance. Most firms today are using the concept of near-shoring to promote cultural integrity and to position themselves as a global firm operating in more than one country.

With the threat of intellectual theft becoming ever present as technology advances, organizations are trying to bring operational activities closer and making a more compact organizational culture. Therefore, near-shore software development and activities have gained wide, spread acclaim. Not only are organizations trying to reduce the threat of cybercrime, but by adopting near-shore outsourcing practices the parent organization is in close proximity to the clients and their customers. Therefore this increases the applicability of the customer responsiveness and decreasing the turnaround time. Thus this allows the firm to make necessary changes to the product based on the relevant feedback given by the consumer.

Mindfire Solutions has been providing expert offshore software development services since the last 16 years. Our clients have praised our software development services and customer centric behavior through their testimonials that can be found at Mindfire Solutions dot com. If that convinces you enough to test our strengths in software development please drop in your requirements to sales at Mindfire Solutions dot com.

Should developers be encouraged to participate in Seminars and conferences?

"Everything comes with some advantages and few disadvantages! Nothing is perfect in the world neither our concern about Seminars and Conferences. Should a developer attend them? It is really a complicated debate. There are lots of benefits and few demerits of Seminars or Conference. The thing is what is our priority? Is the seminar relevant for the developer or not? So, it all depends upon the situation and the topic and if it is really related to a developer then, the 2-3 days period will change the life of developer else the same will happen but in a negative manner!”

Let’s come straight to the point, we often need expertly guidance or suggestions for steady progress no matter what industry our business is in. And likewise, developers who constantly search for improvements in their products or intend to incorporate creative blends into their projects would feel a dearth of an industry conference or seminar (at times, if not every day). Here, we are listing out some of the main reasons why developers should actually take some time off their schedule and attend seminars and conferences –

Learn Something New: It’s of paramount significance for any developer to expand their horizon of knowledge. Seminars and conferences play a huge role in helping people learn something new about their specific area of interest. They are empowered with an opportunity to learn a whole lot more from interacting and grasping the ideas of professionals. Seminars where experts are sharing their experiences and growth modules will help developers hone their skills. The new knowledge on their domain will definitely keep them ahead of others. In fact, it builds a confidence within them and this is really vital for any professional especially if he belongs to technical field. In the competitive and ever changing environment it becomes essential to remain up to date and confident enough so that you can advocate with your client for their benefit which in turn give prosperity to you and your company.

Get Inspired: A break-point from the one above! Yet, conferences go a long way in instilling new ideologies and concepts into the minds of creative developers. They not just help add something valuable to one’s business, but also help change the way one works. The concepts when get executed by the developer, he gets awesome output that will definitely bring reputation of your company in the industry. In fact, up to date concepts and futuristic methodologies are way better than that of traditional system. So it is always welcomed by the industry and attending seminars and conferences can inspire developers to get better and design more creative concepts, helping them achieve greater success in their respective fields.

Stay Connected With Industry Trends: One of the most important reasons why any developer should attend a conference is to know the latest news and trends that hit the market. A field that is highly competitive demands constant knows– hence, seminars help developers stay updated with trends in their industry and stay cutthroat. Industry throws out those outdated stuffs in no time; you can guess it by considering how fast a technology gets depreciated. Every passing day, the industry is gifted with numerous outstanding and brilliant ideas that makes the older concepts outdated. So in order to sustain in the ever changing industry it is necessary to remain updated with new and latest trends and technologies.

Add Value to the Product: Seminars are more like an investment – where a developer could go, learn the tricks, expand his possibilities as a developer, hatch onto some new ideas, and build a better product. Conferences render the skills and knowledge one would need to make his product or venture valuable. Knowledge never get exhausted rather gets transferred to different versions and in different forms. So, from the knowledge that you gained from Seminars and Conferences you can build more productive products for the industry. In fact, the process of development becomes more efficient and the quality of the end products stands out from others. Hence it really helps in adding values to the products or services directly or indirectly.

Networking Opportunities: Usually developers are encouraged to be connected with likeminded professionals through social media networks like LinkedIn. There they discuss with others, shares their thoughts, points and gains knowledge. There are many web platforms like forums that also help in networking with others and gaining knowledge from each other. But, they all are virtual and can never be compared to that of practical like Seminars and Conferences. Nothing better than being introduced to industry professionals in practical! Seminars provide developers with an ideal opportunity to connect and interact with like-minded people. Networking with right people could turn resourceful for developers – where they could meet another professional with the same or better vision, have someone interview their product, or get insights into their developmental plan.

Change the Strategies: A lot of times, seminars or conferences are a way to review the progress or retreat in life. If there is anything that looks off-the-track, seminars could help provide an insight into it and help change the strategies to get back on the right track. They also enable one to be reflective, tweak the turns (if needed), and evaluate their progress. Many times, some mediocre minds came to seminar with their outrageous products or concepts and ask the participants for their opinion. In the process, the participant will not only gains knowledge on a new concept but also gets an opportunity to interact with a concept that may be way ahead of their scope. But, it will definitely bring some excellent knowledge on the new concept; even they can give better opinion to the person to make the concept more effective and efficient.

Have Fun: Last but not the least; developers should attend seminars because they are seriously fun. Being in business should never be a dull chore and hence, industry seminars can bring excitement and enjoyment to dealing with a career choice. It’s more like an ideal amalgamation of educational learning, professional creativity, and fun! So it will rejuvenate the developer and makes him enthusiast enough to focus on his work with more energy and confidence after the seminar is over.

Mindfire Solutions takes all the initiatives that are necessary to include a knowledge based culture at the work place. Employees across the three centers hold seminars on various software development topics. It also encourages employees to attend seminars outside the organization that help a great deal in enhancing the overall knowledge of its employees apart from giving them the required exposure. Are you then sufficiently interested in the culture of knowledge at Mindfire Solutions?