IT Archives - HSoftEngineering https://www.hamsoftengineering.com Battle for IT Conference Wed, 01 Feb 2023 10:20:03 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.8.2 https://www.hamsoftengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/cropped-computer-1941945_640-32x32.png IT Archives - HSoftEngineering https://www.hamsoftengineering.com 32 32 2023’s TOP 5 Laptops for IT Professionals https://www.hamsoftengineering.com/2023s-top-5-laptops-for-it-professionals/ Wed, 01 Feb 2023 10:20:00 +0000 https://www.hamsoftengineering.com/?p=1311 Information technology is defined by the very term “IT,” so it goes without saying that you need a computer to work in this field. Computers play a major role in the technology sector, thus having a good computer is a requirement if you want to work in the sector. Everything falls under IT, including data …

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Information technology is defined by the very term “IT,” so it goes without saying that you need a computer to work in this field. Computers play a major role in the technology sector, thus having a good computer is a requirement if you want to work in the sector. Everything falls under IT, including data processing and corporate operations. It is a reality that you cannot move large computers that you use in offices. In order to give you greater portability, laptops are introduced into the scene. In order to assist you effectively achieve your job goals, we have decided to highlight a few of the best laptops for IT professionals.

As an IT professional, are you looking for a good laptop? Your progress is healthy. This article reviews the top 5 laptops for IT professionals. We’ll walk you through a step-by-step buying guide to help you choose the right parts for your computer. These laptops work flawlessly not only for IT professionals, but also for other professionals such as teachers, writers, business owners, programmers, stock brokers, etc. These laptops are capable of performing complex IT operations, including data processing, call tracking , machine learning and virtual reality (VR). Let’s start now, without further ado!

Here are the top 5 items for IT professionals that you might want to consider purchasing in 2023:

1.Macbook Pro 16 from Apple (Best Macbook for IT Professionals)

Because it is the biggest tech business in the world, Apple doesn’t require any introduction. The business has widespread acclaim for its top-notch software optimization that maximizes the use of hardware resources. Apple goods are extremely efficient as a result. We have decided that the Apple Macbook Pro 16 is the best option for IT professionals. It is one of the most potent laptops in its class because to its impressive technology. The Apple Macbook Pro 16 is available in a number of variations, each with a different CPU, RAM, and storage capacity. For the majority of tasks, we have chosen the Macbook Pro with Apple M1 Pro SoC.

The M1 Max, a more potent processor with more power to handle a hard task, is an extra choice. The laptop has a powerful 10-core Apple M1 Pro chip, which is roughly twice as fast as the standard Apple M1 chip. It is being developed on a processing node with a 5 nm process technology. A 16-core GPU that is even more potent than the strong CPU is paired with it. It is an integrated GPU, but despite this, it produces superb graphics performance without the need for a discrete GPU. In comparison to the M1 chip’s basic octa-core GPU, the manufacturer claims to give up to 2x the performance. Together, the GPU and the GPU deliver outstanding performance.

A large 16-inch Retina display with a resolution of 3456 x 2234p surrounds the front side. This display is usable in outdoor light thanks to its peak brightness of 500 nits. For exceptional accuracy, the display has a large P3 color gamut. No other laptop can provide such a remarkable atmosphere to do the editing if you work in the content creation industry. You can save a ton of audio files on the massive 1TB SSD storage that comes with the 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM. In Apple-certified retailers, you have the opportunity to personalize your purchase if you’d want more RAM and storage. Additional features include two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C connections, a 3.5mm audio connector, an HDMI port, and an SD card reader.

To further enhance the camera quality, the laptop also includes a 1080p Webcam with face identification technology. The camera quality is excellent and ideal for online classes, working from home, and other comparable jobs. Speaking specifically about the applications, it is capable of handling the majority of graphically demanding software without a hitch, including AutoCAD, Blender, Solidworks, Photoshop, MAYA, game development, Revit, video editing, and many more. You don’t have to worry about whatever stream you are working on because the overall experience is buttery smooth, even from the perspective of an IT professional. Overall, this is the main suggestion we have for IT professionals and content developers.

2. Surface Pro 4 computer (Runner Up)

Because it offers the most enjoyable Windows experience with an ultra-portable design, the Microsoft Surface series is the real arch-rival of Apple Macbooks. For this reason, we’ve chosen the most recent Surface Laptop as the ideal Windows laptop for IT professionals. The laptop is powered by an Intel core i7-1185G7 processor, a member of the company’s 11th generation. The chipset houses a quad-core CPU with a 3.0GHz base clock speed that may be increased to 4.8GHz. With a large performance improvement over its predecessor compared to other variations, it sits between the Core i7-1165G7 and Core i7-11370H. It still has an integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 GPU, thus there has been no change there.

In terms of the screen, it has a 13.5-inch QHD+ touchscreen display with a resolution of 2256 x 1504 pixels. Excellent viewing angles and crystal-clear images are provided by this edge-to-edge panel. The overall display quality is an exception, including accurate color calibration that works well for productivity apps. It is a business laptop that has a thin and light design, making it a highly portable device. It has a metal unibody design, a strong structure, and a premium feel to it when you hold it in your hands in terms of construction quality. Additionally, a 512GB SSD and 16GB DDR4 RAM are added.

I believe that the memory choice offered is more than adequate for the majority of IT jobs, and you can store vital data utilizing its internal storage. It offers a long battery life, which is excellent. It is one of those Windows computers that offers a battery life of more than 10 hours. It has several shortcomings, such as fewer ports, in addition to considerable gains. This computer somehow bargains with I/O ports to keep its mobility. For IT workers who enjoy utilizing the Windows operating system, it is unquestionably one of the best options. As soon as Windows 11 becomes widely available, the Microsoft also promised to provide free updates for it.

3. Swift 3 Acer (Best Value Pick)

Among the most popular laptops from Acer is the Swift 3. Its affordability accounts for its popularity. With no performance sacrifices, the laptop is offered at a very low cost. The most up-to-date hardware components are utilized, and its performance is elevated by highly optimized software tuning. In all, the laptop has a 14-inch Full HD Widescreen IPS LED-backlit Display. Full HD 1920 x 1080p image reproduction is provided by the panel’s resolution. It also offers a remarkable visual experience level with 100% sRGB coverage, delivering better color fidelity. As a result, it becomes a suitable solution for basic level content creation if you wish to edit a few photographs and light videos.

The most recent AMD Ryzen 7 5700U processor is also used in the laptop. With a basic clock speed of 1.8GHz, the offered chipset enables the impressive octa-core CPU. While doing taxing activities, the CPU can reach its maximum clock speed of 4.3GHz. This chipset processes data at TSMC’s 7nm design, which is very power-efficient. Additionally, the supports an inbuilt AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 GPU to accommodate apps with a high graphics requirement. The latest Ryzen 5000 series AMD chipsets, particularly the Ryzen 7 CPU featured in this laptop, take their reputation for fluid performance to a new level.

In terms of design, the laptop is made with a sturdy, elegant aluminum and magnesium-aluminum metal chassis, which increases its longevity. It also has a lightweight design and a powerful battery in addition to these advantages. Additionally, it features Alexa connectivity and the most recent version of Windows, Windows 10. As a result, managing your routine, timers, and alarms is simpler. Multiple USB ports, an HDMI port, a micro SD reader, and a 3.5mm audio jack with a microphone are all included in the list of I/O ports. This laptop is the most cost-effective option for IT professionals because it has all these capabilities plus an integrated fingerprint reader for less than $700.

4. The HP Pavilion 15 (Best Budget Laptop for IT Professionals)

A well-known laptop maker, HP has already produced a large number of laptops in a variety of lineups, including gaming, business, home, and others. As an IT professional, you must consider brand value for long-term use by staying with a single laptop. Due to their great brand value and high level of durability, HP laptops stand out in the market. So here we are with the newest product from HP, the Pavilion 15. Featuring a 15.6-inch Full HD IPS display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 and 400 nits of brightness, the laptop is equipped with. As a result, it creates remarkable outdoor visibility.

This display supports 100% sRGB color, which makes it a highly accurate panel in terms of color. It has a nice appearance because to the small bezels surrounding the corner. The newest chipset from Intel, the Core i7-1165G7, powers the laptop. This chipset is made on 10 nm technology. The maximum clock speed of its four cores is 4.7GHz. Additionally, this laptop has an Intel Xe Graphics G7 GPU. It has 16GB of DDR4 RAM and a 512GB SSD disk combined for memory. For the majority of the daily tasks you conduct, this amount of RAM and storage is more than adequate.

The structure of this laptop is also lightweight and tiny. Despite this, it boasts a respectable assortment of I/O ports, including an HDMI port, two USB Type-C ports, two USB Type-A ports, and an audio jack. Its lack of an SD card reader, which may be a problem for some users, especially photographers and content producers, is unfortunate. It also offers wireless connectivity options for Bluetooth 5 and WiFi 6. An 8-hour battery backup is provided by the laptop’s 45W battery. It also supports quick charging technology. With its low pricing and pre-installed Windows 11 operating system, HP Pavilion 15 is a great choice for IT professionals.

5. ThinkPad X1 by Lenovo (Best Windows Laptop for IT Professionals)

With thousands of laptops delivered each year, Lenovo is the largest laptop maker in the world. Typically, Lenovo laptops are exceptionally tough, with top-notch body design and dependable operation. IT professionals can use the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 because it is a high-end corporate notebook. The cost of the laptop is on the higher side, but it is truly worth the price. With integrated Iris XE graphics, the most recent Intel Core i7-1165G7 processor powers the Lenovo Thinkpad Carbon Gen 9. Multi-threaded work can be performed on the given chipset, which has a quad-core CPU and eight threads. Built with the cutting-edge 10nm SuperFin technology, it has four strong cores and a variable base clock speed ranging from 1.20GHz to 2.80GHz, with a maximum speed of 4.70GHz.

A 14-inch Full HD+ IPS display with a resolution of 1920 x 1200p is located at the front. It has a propagation brightness of 400 nits, making it one of the brightest screens available for Windows computers. Excellent outdoor sight is provided, and the anti-glare coating prevents reflection in the sun. Overall, the display quality is good, boasting great viewing angles and respectable color accuracy. Additionally, there is an HD webcam with excellent camera quality, which is more than enough for working remotely, going to online meetings, and participating in video conferences. Additionally, the laptop has 512GB of SSD storage and 16GB of high-speed DDR4 RAM. The memory is not compromised, and there are some more spaces for future expansion.

A fingerprint reader and the existence of a backlit keyboard are additional noteworthy features. In addition to offering white backlighting, the keyboard quality is superb and the key travel is smooth. In terms of biometrics, it is fairly accurate. I/O ports include two USB Type-A ports, two Thunderbolt 4 USB Type-C connectors (one of which also enables charging), an HDMI port, and a 3.5mm audio jack. Unfortunately, this computer doesn’t have an SD card reader. In terms of the construction, it is made of sturdy metal that appears to be very durable. The battery life is adequate for handling daily duties. In general, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 merits being a good choice for IT professionals.

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The Most Dangerous Computer Viruses of the XXI Century https://www.hamsoftengineering.com/most-dangerous-computer-virusesy/ Mon, 05 Jul 2021 16:49:09 +0000 https://www.hamsoftengineering.com/?p=984 We have all encountered various digital viruses. The Internet is now full of them! But did you know that sometimes they can harm not only individual devices, but entire countries as well?

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We have all encountered various digital viruses. The Internet is now full of them! But did you know that sometimes they can harm not only individual devices, but entire countries as well?

We will go on to talk about these, the most malicious of all existing computer viruses.

CryptoLocker

This dangerous software was released in 2013. It was distributed via email in the form of an ordinary letter with an attached program. When you open the message, the file automatically launched, and then encrypted all the files stored on your computer. In order to regain access to their documents, the victim had to pay a large sum of money in bitcoins. Having done so, the user received a key that was of no use to him at all: the data infected by CryptoLocker were lost forever.

Zeus Gameover

The Zeus application became known 10 years ago. It targets Windows operating systems. The infection occurs in two main ways: via spam and downloaded files. Zeus Gameover aims to reach the user’s bank details and withdraw all the funds from his accounts. The virus perfectly scans sensitive information and can even download ransomware to the device that encrypts files and then demands money to unlock them.

PlugX

Our third specimen is a trojan that has been infecting PCs worldwide since 2012. It is capable of remote access and mainly affects government organizations, spreading via email. The malicious attachment exploits vulnerabilities in Adobe Reader and Microsoft Word. It has several spyware modules that perform various tasks. In 2016, the Japanese travel agency JTB Corp was attacked by PlugX, and it gave nearly 8 million user records into the hands of cybercriminals. The incident happened because of an email that a company employee received and opened.

Stuxnet

Stuxnet was first discovered in ’10. It originally targeted Iranian nuclear facilities. On one occasion, the virus destroyed over a thousand centrifuges at a plant of a large organization called Foolad Technic. The way Stuxnet spreads is via USB sticks. It is also known that Siemens, a German firm, was once severely affected by it.

Mydoom

This worm spread through emails and peer-to-peer networks. It was written in C++. MyDoom embeds a flawed algorithm in the operating system and triggers a DDoS-like mechanism. In its first year it flooded the Internet and infected about 20% of all e-mail messages. MyDoom’s carrier file has a line with the words “I’m just doing my job, nothing personal, sorry.” By infecting the operating system, the worm blocks antivirus sites and Microsoft resources.

Sasser and Netsky

Worms created by a 17-year-old German, S. Jashan. They operate in different ways, but similar in code. Sasser is difficult to stop: when it enters a PC, it looks for other vulnerable devices by scanning IP. This worm doesn’t cause any catastrophic data damage, but it slows down the networks and performs a lot of DDoS-attacks. In Year 4, it shut down almost all Taiwanese post offices, 130 bank branches in Finland, and caused the cancellation of several train flights and transatlantic flights.

Netsky works differently. When it gets on a PC, the user is unable to open files. The virus downloads malicious elements into Windows and settles in the autorun. Notably, at the moment of infection it wipes Mydoom from the system, if it is present there, of course.

CodeRed

This malware, after infiltrating a computer, makes several hundred copies of all the data stored on it. As a result, the worm consumes too many resources and causes the system to “crash”. What follows is a standard DDoS attack. The most famous Code Red case was the “attack” on the White House portal. Experts believe that in 2001, the virus infected over 250 thousand computer systems, causing more than $2 million worth of damage.

Nimda

Also in 2001, the Nimda virus appeared on the web. In just 22 minutes after its “release” it became the most popular tool for cyberattacks. The main purpose of this software is to give the hacker full access to the device. Nimda has reportedly infected approximately 160,000 operating systems worldwide.

ILOVEYOU

In May 2000, thousands of Internet users received an e-mail containing the same text: “ILOVEYOU.” A file was attached to it, which gave criminals full access to the operating system when opened. The virus is considered one of the most dangerous, since it infected 10% of all PCs on the planet and caused $10 billion worth of damage. Many governments even had to shut down their email systems for a while to prevent ILOVEYOU attacks.

Melissa

A very interesting specimen, because it is a plain text document (at first glance, of course) that is sent to the 50 main contacts in the victim’s email account the moment it is opened. It contained, by the way, quite curious information: from links to new cartoon series to passwords opening access to paid products from popular sites. Mellisa was not designed to steal data or money, but it did a lot of damage to large institutions, including Microsoft, which was shut down several times because of it. This malware created a lot of Internet traffic, reducing the speed of already overloaded servers. And although it was deactivated in a couple of days, the damage from Mellisa was estimated at a whopping $80 million.

Conclusion

As you can see, all of these viruses emerged at the dawn of the 21st century: the years when cybersecurity was just beginning to evolve. Today, things are completely different. Today’s operating systems and antivirus software are excellent at protecting computers from most malicious files. But that doesn’t mean you can afford to be careless: these and many other cyber-villains still roam the web.

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5 Future Professions for IT Professionals https://www.hamsoftengineering.com/5-future-professions-for-it-professionals/ Fri, 05 Mar 2021 17:03:47 +0000 https://www.hamsoftengineering.com/?p=1001 Professions are constantly being added to and the IT field is no exception. We have prepared a list of 5 possible future professions that you can prepare for now.

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Professions are constantly being added to and the IT field is no exception. We have prepared a list of 5 possible future professions that you can prepare for now.

Over the past 10 years, there has been a constant dialogue about the imminent displacement of humans from production plants. Futurologists argue that soon there will be virtually no room for humans; technology will simply take over most of the work. Despite the potential extinction of many professions, new ones are emerging that pay very well. Specialists working with technology and robots are expected to be in demand.

To get a promising profession, you should start changing jobs now. For the reader, we have prepared 5 of the most promising professions, which are the future.

Designer of virtual worlds

Virtual reality is just beginning to be developed and has clearly not yet reached the peak of functionality. It has a lot to develop, and most likely it will do so in the next 10 years. In the future, virtual reality will completely absorb social networks, games, and many areas of physical life. Virtual reality glasses will become as necessary a gadget as a smartphone.

It only seems that the technology won’t be so widespread yet, but the modern world is making huge steps forward every year. Already, many forward-thinking companies are beginning to create their own virtual worlds, which will require designers. They have a lot of work, you need: to tie the laws of physics, develop a landscape, create a social component, to convey physical sensations (sounds, smells). Full immersion in very soon will cease to be a fantasy.

Today it is already worth starting to study this industry. Specialists in creating worlds are beginning to be in demand, and this trend will only gain momentum. Until then, it is possible to engage in such an area in the position of game designer. This will help to get a good income before the “future”.

Network lawyer

The development of virtual reality will inevitably lead to the need for a network lawyer. The essence of the work is to create legislative acts right in the “alternative” world. The law enforcement system will come to protect people in virtual reality. It will have to somehow designate property and human rights, a lawyer will come in handy.

At the moment, the closest profession can be considered a network lawyer engaged in the registration of copyright. In this industry, a specialist will have to interact with IT all the time, which will help them understand it better. To remain in demand, it is already worthwhile to retrain as a network lawyer.

Programmer of clothing sketches electronically

It will come as no surprise to anyone that clothes will soon begin to be printed directly on a printer. So where do we get a sketch for her? That’s right, to order from a designer. 3D printers are already showing incredible results, but there’s still room for improvement. As soon as they become available to everyone and have the ability to create elastic garments, the development of clothing electronically will get a new lease on life.

Programmers will be needed to implement the technology to create printed clothing. The main essence of the work is to translate already existing clothing patterns into digital form. You can also do your own hand-designing from scratch. In advanced countries, the production of things with the help of 3D-technology is already in full swing, but so far it’s not clothes.

How do you make money today? In the beginning, it is better to become a programmer, an engineer or a robotics engineer. In each case, you can develop very useful programming skills and interaction with robots.

An AI translator

Translators are already forced to use IT today, but very soon the IT field will be an integral part. Even now, many people use online translators that are powered by artificial intelligence (AI). Of course, machines don’t yet have the intelligence to produce coherent and quality text, but it is the adjusters who will be involved in training the AI. Their role is to train the artificial intelligence to better understand meaning and context. Simply put, the specialists will improve the quality of translations.

You can make a living by programming now. You have time for a good and in-depth study of several programming languages which will allow you to earn good money. Translators should now think about integrating their work with IT.

IT Agitator

Modern technology is very well accepted by the younger generation. People voluntarily chase innovations in the IT sphere. As for the middle and older generation, many still treat this sphere with caution, maintaining a conservative approach. Agitators will introduce people to technology and promote it to the masses. Specialists will help get literacy in the digital sphere and will be responsible for public awareness.

Today, a job that is close in meaning – a marketer or a specialist in working with people – will help to get an income. The main task is to learn how to promote a product. Of course, you should not lag behind the IT-trends, otherwise you yourself will have to be trained. Knowledge of programming and AI is not unimportant.

You can not take everything described literally, human thinking is always finding new areas of work. It is impossible to accurately predict the future, but most likely specialties will indeed appear and become in demand. There is a chance that all the listed professions will have to be combined by one person or, on the contrary, the functions of each profession will break up into several parts.

The future will come quickly, you have to be prepared for it, otherwise you could lose your source of income.

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How to Make Fewer Errors in Code? https://www.hamsoftengineering.com/how-to-make-fewer-errors-in-code/ Tue, 15 Dec 2020 16:52:17 +0000 https://www.hamsoftengineering.com/?p=988 By avoiding code errors you increase your efficiency and get more done in the same amount of time. We will tell you some tips to avoid coding errors.

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By avoiding code errors you increase your efficiency and get more done in the same amount of time. We will tell you some tips to avoid coding errors.

It is impossible to avoid mistakes completely; only those who lie motionless on the couch do not make them. All programmers make mistakes, there’s nowhere to go without it. You cannot avoid mistakes when working on large projects, especially in a team. However, you can really reduce their number, so that you revise them much less often. Today we will tell you about means to avoid mistakes in program code.

Planning

At the beginning of any project you must plan everything, you should spend enough time on this process. A ship sailing aimlessly over the sea will not be guided by any wind. It is very important to make a detailed plan with step-by-step actions and criteria. It is also useful to summarize intermediate and final results.

It is not necessary to ignore the drawing of block diagrams or UML-diagrams. If you identify an error during the design, its solution will be many times cheaper than the problem that surfaced during the development or even implementation, testing. It’s much easier to rework the schema than to rewrite the code.

Testing

Apply TDD – development through testing. After the stage of creating the plan you should first engage in the development of unit tests for further code. This approach will eliminate the possibility of forgetting to do them. This, of course, is not the main thing. The key advantage of the approach is that you will be able to think through the main points of the interface for classes in advance. Most likely, the implementation will go much easier. This method helps to focus attention on the general points, without taking into account individual cases.

Besides, there is a very useful feature for those who use the Visual Studio Enterprise environment – Live Testing. It helps to see how successfully tests are completed right in the process of code development (before compilation). Additionally there is an opportunity to study the line-by-line coverage of tests and how well the work is done. Most importantly, it is all done in real time. Incredibly useful feature, I recommend it to everyone working in C#.

Crutches

Don’t bother developing your own crutches. The vast majority of frequent problems have successful solutions from other developers. It is better to find a ready-made solution which has already been tested and improved by your colleagues. There is much less risk of finding errors in such code.

It will almost certainly take you a lot of time to develop a crutch from scratch and a lot of errors will appear. Feel free to use other code fragments and additional libraries. What else can you say if reusing the same code is one of the 6 OOP paradigms.

Clean code

Create clean and understandable code right away. There is much more risk of making a mistake in bad code than in strictly structured and commented code. Extremely long description of the gist of functions is also a bad idea.

The ideal solution is a concise writing, correct variable names, informative comments. I also recommend using the SOLID, KISS, YAGNI, DRY principles. In this kind of code, a quick glance is enough to determine what is not working correctly and where you need to make some adjustments.

Documentation

You can’t forget about documentation and GIT (or another version control system). When you have access to notes and development history, it’s much easier to understand how and which piece of code should be handled. This is useful in cases where new programmers may join development.

Today you don’t even have to do everything manually, you can automate the process. It is possible to apply special comments to objects and create a relationship between tasks. You can use the TFS for this. The better the programmer’s idea of the work, the fewer errors will appear.

Improve your knowledge

A developer must constantly develop and expand his knowledge of the subtleties of working with the target language. You must understand the basic syntax errors, and modern analyzers and IDEs will help you with that. Anyway, there are non-obvious peculiarities in each language that can negatively influence the speed of an application and sometimes break its logic. You must be skillful in the tool you use. Of course, it will positively influence the quality of the code.

Code review

You should make a rule of Code Review. During a long run of some task there often appears a blurring of eyes. The effect is that you stop seeing easily noticeable errors. This is a really common condition. To avoid serious problems you should let your code be proofread by your colleagues. Reading other people’s code will help you to get useful experience and prevent you from making the same mistakes. Sharing experience is always useful.

A simple tip

Code is a creation – this is exactly how you should treat it. It is a product of work, and it has to be of high quality. I can give you one simple tip that was used on a past project – the “no-bug contest”.

All team members put some amount of money into a common piggy bank and start working. The programmer who had the least bugs in his code took all the money. A healthy competition revived the competitive spirit and gave an incentive to write better code.

I hope that the rules I listed above proved useful and interesting. Anyway, only practice will help you to make fewer mistakes. At the initial stage of work, it is all right to make mistakes. So, make it a rule not to chase the quantity, but concentrate on quality.

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How the Fingerprint Scanner Works https://www.hamsoftengineering.com/how-the-fingerprint-scanner-works/ Fri, 25 Sep 2020 16:55:15 +0000 https://www.hamsoftengineering.com/?p=992 This is one of the most convenient technologies, but, as it turns out, not always safe. In this article we will tell you how fingerprint recognition works, and why an ordinary password is still more secure.

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This is one of the most convenient technologies, but, as it turns out, not always safe. In this article we will tell you how fingerprint recognition works, and why an ordinary password is still more secure.

The secret is in the minutiae

The principle of the fingerprint scanner is based on the analysis of minutiae. These are sections of the pattern where the lines change, for example:

  • They break off,
  • end and start again,
  • make a sharp turn,
  • converge,
  • bifurcate,
  • twisting in loops, etc.

Our prints are unique precisely because of the minutiae. So the main task of the scanner is to read them as accurately as possible.

How the data is recognized

When the technology first appeared, scanners took a picture of a finger and then compared it with the images in memory. The main problem was that if the finger was placed 0.5 cm below or above the initial scanning position, recognition would not work.

Another disadvantage of visual recognition is that you can simply attach a photo of the fingerprint to the scanner and thus easily fool it. After all, the technology will get the same image as the reference sample and open access. That’s why optical scanners cannot provide serious protection and are rarely used.

Modern scanners analyze minutiae rather than the overall appearance of lines. This is how they work now:

  • They do a scan of the attached finger.
  • Minutiae are detected and extracted.
  • The information on the mutual positioning of the minutiae is coded and used to form a digital matrix.
  • The matrix obtained is compared with those stored in the database.
  • If the percentage of coincidence is higher than the specified value – the fingerprint is accepted and gives access to the smartphone.

Types of fingerprint scanners

There are four varieties:

Optical – located under the screen. Modern OLED matrixes transmit light from both sides, which is used by manufacturers to place a conventional optical scanner directly under the screen. It trivially takes photos (moreover it has poor quality because of noise in the form of matrix pixels), that is why it often makes mistakes, takes a long time to “think” and detects any dummy, for example, on tape, film, etc.

Non-contact optical scanners. A more advanced model of optical scanners. In this case, the finger is not attached to the scanner, but to the glass under which several cameras take pictures from different sides. It is no longer possible to fool with a photograph, since the cameras create a stereo image. Theoretically, the only way to bypass the protection is to use a manufactured 3D model of the finger.

Capacitive. The first fingerprint sensors in smartphones were exactly those, and their varieties are still used by manufacturers. How it works: The surface of the scanner is covered by a dense network of miniature semiconductors. When you put your finger on them, the protruding lines act on the conductors, causing the capacitance of the circuit to change. These changes form the digital pattern of the fingerprint.

The disadvantages of a capacitive scanner:

  • If your fingers are wet, water droplets cause extra sensors to short out and interfere with proper recognition.
  • This sensor is also easy to fool with a 3D printer.

Ultrasonic. Now this is the most advanced and reliable option, because such scanners collect information not only about minutes, but also about the pulse, and also build a volumetric model of the lines for greater accuracy of the result. Because of their high cost, they are not yet widespread: only a few Samsung models are equipped with ultrasound scanners.

Fingerprint vs. password: which is better?

The answer depends on your priorities. If speed and convenience are more important to you, use a scanner. This option is perfect if your phone or laptop doesn’t have anything super secret and super valuable. A fingerprint will also be enough as a child-proof device.

In the other case, we recommend using a password, because the scanner can be fooled in a dozen ways, while bypassing the password is only two: hacking or peeking. If you come up with a fairly complex combination and make sure that no one is watching you while you enter, it will be extremely difficult to crack this password.

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