Why GitHub will be the next big thing!

You might've heard in the news of Microsoft acquiring Github for a whopping $7.5 Billion, that’s too large a sum for a thing that you might not know about. So let's tell you what Github is all about and Why did Microsoft acquire it for a huge sum.

What is Github?

Literally speaking, Github is a hub of Gits or an online repository of all the gits. Git is a version control system of the files/code that developers create and share with each other. It is primarily used to track changes in source code and maintain a distributed version history of all the Gits. Technically, it is a web-based source code management system.

It was created by Linus Torvalds (yes, the same legend who created Linux), it was basically created by him to simplify Linux kernel development and management, all the other source code management weren't that easy to use and were riddled with copyright laws, so Linus set out to create a simpler source code management which had sharing and forking capabilities.

What made Github special are the last two capabilities -  namely the social media capabilities that have made it hugely popular among developers and geeks, every developer has a profile with all his past projects with all the changes,a developer can also have Project revisions and feedback from the community or the people who follow him, so a lot of experts take your project forward by making it better.   

If you're a newbie in coding then you can follow experienced talented coders, see their projects emulate them for better learning, give feedback on bugs/issues and make it better. Whereas if you're an experienced coder, it becomes a platform to showcase your talent and take on bold projects. Its often referred to as a social media for "geeks".

Github isn't just for Geeks

Yes, that’s the biggest conception people have, since Github essentially being a version control software for files, you can easily use it for projects with large teams for sharing documents and tracking changes between your teams.

Why Microsoft acquired Github

Microsoft being Microsoft always has a history of purchasing large successful businesses for huge amount whether be it Skype or be it LinkedIn, this latest acquisition of Github, Microsoft wanted to gain a foothold with the developer industry, if you control the developers you control the software and eventually you control the product. Microsoft is a platform king for Desktops, but a lagger in mobile, with a paradigm shift being there towards mobile and cloud, it makes sense for Microsoft to grab the market share in developer industry.

Depending on how it integrates Github with its cloud offerings it could surely get ahead in the race being dominated by Google and Amazon recently.

Amazon Fire TV Cube

Amazon has been a trendsetter in bringing out futuristic gadgets. It was the first one to bring a smart-assistant speaker Amazon Echo to the market, which had 'Alexa' in it to assist you with anything you ask. This speaker spiralled into a new category of devices which became so successful that Google, Microsoft and even Apple had to release their own versions of smart speakers.

Amazon has yet again taken a bold new step by introducing Alexa (their smart assistant) for TVs and naming this cubical block as Amazon Fire TV Cube (well they need a better naming strategy!)

What is it?

It is a cubical block with speakers and 8 far-field mics built-in to catch your voice even from a distance. Once you connect it to your TV(via HDMI), power it up through micro-USB cable and connect to the Internet(either through Wi-fi or ethernet port). It will first determine the make and model of your TV and will try to gain the power controls, so you can always ask Alexa to turn on/switch off the TV.

What makes it awesome?

Well turning on/off the TV is just the beginning, this little cube can control your whole TV viewing experience as it has tied up with Netflix, Hulu, PlayStation Vue, Xbox and other major service providers. So get ready for remote free tv viewing, all you have to do just the name the thing that you want to watch like "Alexa, play 13 reasons why on Netflix" and boom the TV switches on with the first episode of the series playing on Netflix.

What's more, it can easily switch between content swiftly, like while playing Netflix just tell it to switch to BBC News on Cable and another moment BBC Cable is there, no need to remember the atrocious channel numbers now, this is what TV viewing should be, unapologetically simple and easy to use.

You can also tell it forward, skip 30 seconds or play from a specific time. In fact, binge-watchers can tell Alexa to play a specific episode and it would start from right there, no hassles. The Fire TV Cube is truly genius concept with a marvel feat of engineering behind it.

What makes it a million dollar device is that it supports almost all major TVs that means no setup time, apart from that it has a direct support for Prime Video, Netflix, Hulu, PlayStation, Xbox out of the box. And yes, you can also use it as a smart assistant for weather forecast, asking jokes, playing songs, etc. Where it actually shines is how it uses the TV's real estate to make your queries more visually appealing, like showing the forecast of the day on the big screen with animations is very soothing, or grabbing the major headlines of the day with video.

The Fire TV Cube retails for $119.99 and is available on www.amazon.com

Crowdfunding

Wanted to start your own business, but don’t have the financial resources, where would you take the money from? Your Parents, Banks, Relatives, Friends, ever thought of raising money from the public, no we are not talking about bringing an IPO and listing your start-up on the index, we are talking about the swag new way of raising funds, known as "Crowdfunding".

So what exactly is crowdfunding?

Put Simply, crowdfunding is a method of raising funds from the public by listing/expressing your idea on a platform. With the power of the internet, every process of Crowdfunding is done online, from listing your idea to asking for money, you can raise funds for your dream project sitting at your home with a click of a button.

Getting to the Point – Why is it Different?

10 years back, when you had to raise funds for your next venture, you had to go to the tedious way of creating a marketing plan, setting up meetings with bankers, venture capitalists (that too if they agree to meet you!), explaining the viability of your idea to your friends and family members and working on your plan side-by-side.

With crowdfunding, it provides you with a platform online where you can demonstrate/ share your idea to the public and it automatically gets displayed to the interested parties, drastically reducing the time and resources required to market your idea to the right public. Crowdfunding gives a platform to those voices and makes them readily accessible to those who want to invest here!

From people's point of view, you don’t need to have millions in hand nor you are required to be a venture capitalist to invest in the start-ups. This is the best part of Crowdfunding, where essentially the crowd comes in to fund the venture,  so as an individual you can invest as low as Rs. 500 on an idea or choose to fully fund the project, whatever suits you!

Types

Crowdfunding isn't just limited to financing or raising money for the next million dollar idea, it is for social causes too! People not financially able can raise money for operating on a critical financial ailment, or an NGO can raise money for filing RTIs, or even a sportsperson like PT Usha can raise money to open her dream school of training future girl athletes (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/pt-usha-takes-to-crowdfunding-to-run-school/articleshow/62111263.cms -latest news)