News Watch

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GitHub Desktop 2.9 revamps commit history

According to GitHub, commit history is often used by developers to tell a story about the progression of a project. As of GitHub Desktop 2.9, developers will be able to drag commits on top of each other to squash them together and add a new commit message to that grouping. When merging, they will be able to squash and rebase as part of the merge. In addition, developers will now be able to drag commits in the history to reorder them.

Another new feature in GitHub Desktop 2.9 is the ability to make changes to or update the commit message of the previous commit. This is intended for small changes, as there is already an existing undo feature in GitHub Desktop that reverts things back to the previous commit.

GitHub Desktop 2.9 also features the ability to start a new branch from an earlier commit. This enables developers to view the state of a repository at a previous point in time without impacting the branch currently being worked on.

Android 12 Beta 3 adds APIs, SDK

The Android development team has released the third beta for Android 12, which includes the final Android 12 APIs and official SDK. This will enable mobile developers to start testing and updating their apps prior to Platform Stability in Beta 4.

Beta 3 introduces the ability to capture screenshots of scrolling content; platform support for AppSearch, which allows apps to index structured data and search through it; privacy indicators APIs to WindowInsets; improvements to auto-rotation; support for camera and microphone toggle configurations for enterprises; and new permission for CDM-paired apps starting foreground services, and the Game Mode APIS.

People on the move

n Automation Anywhere has appointed Sumit Johar as its new chief information officer. As CIO he will provide IT leadership and direction to business units and streamline operations through the use of the company’s Automation 360 RPA platform. Previously Johar was the CIO of MobileIron, leader of Enterprise Applications at TIBCO Software, and a manager at Wipro Technologies and Infosys.

n Prakash Sethuraman is joining CloudBees as its new chief information security officer. He will lead security strategy for the company, utilizing his previous experience of leading digital and security initiatives in highly regulated industries. Prior to joining CloudBees, Sethuraman led a cybersecurity team at HSBC where he helped institute new security processes as the bank accelerated its move toward cloud and container ecosystems.

n Splunk has announced three new senior leadership positions at the company. Sendur Sellakumar will become the company’s first chief cloud officer, Claire Hockin will be the new chief marketing officer, and Garth Fort will become chief product officer. All three will also hold vice president titles.

IBM launches cloud database as a service

IBM is launching a new offering, IBM Cloud Databases powered by IBM Cloud Satellite. The new solution will enable customers to leverage the benefits of cloud databases without needing to manage the systems themselves.

Customers will be able to deploy production-grade databases on cloud service providers, their own data centers or in edge locations, according to IBM.

Other benefits include the ability to bring databases closer to where applications live, high-availability, secure architecture, daily backups, 24×7 monitoring, and online scaling with pay-as-you-go billing.

Eclipse Foundation releases middleware for data IPC

The Eclipse Foundation has announced the release of Eclipse iceoryx Almond, which is the platform’s 1.0 release. Eclipse iceoryx provides a middleware for inter-processcommunication (IPC) to allow for transmission of large amounts of data.

According to the Eclipse Foundation, iceoryx is ideal for applications that need very low latency when transmitting data, such as automotive applications, robotics, gaming, and AI.

Eclipse iceoryx has a latency of less than 1 microsecond to transfer a message, regardless of size. It sends the message from publisher to subscriber without creating a single copy, which is important when large amounts of data have to be processed in a short period of time, according to the company.

It currently offers support for Linux, QNX, and macOS operating systems as well as C and C++ . The team plans to add support for Windows and Rust in a future release.

Ambassador Labs launches Developer Control Plane 1.0

Ambassador Developer Control Plane 1.0 lets developers code, ship and run apps using Kubernetes faster.

The control plane provides a new managed cloud UI and an integrated toolchain built entirely on top of Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) open-source projects.

Developers can use the control plane to view and manage their organization’s apps and services across development, deployment, and production environments without needing to stitch together Kubernetes tools or needing to compromise productivity.

MongoDB releases updates for future-proofing

MongoDB last month announced both the availability of MongoDB 5.0 and a preview for serverless databases in MongoDB Atlas.

MongoDB 5.0 introduces new capabilities to allow organizations to more easily futureproof their applications. New features include: native time

series collections, live resharding, versioned API, and clientside field level encryption.

Developers can also now preview serverless databases in MongoDB Atlas. This new capability will enable users to select a cloud region and then start building their applications. According to the company, the serverless databases feature will remove the need for developers to worry about backwards compatibility or upgrades.

GitHub Copilot write code for developers

GitHub launched a technical preview of GitHub Copilot, a new AI pair programmer that helps developers write better code.

The tool draws context from the code that’s being worked on and suggests whole lines or entire functions to suggest alternative ways to solve problems, write tests, and explore new APIs without having to search for answers on the internet.

Users can simply write a comment describing the logic needed and GitHub Copilot will assemble the code for them.

Also, users can import a unit test package, and let GitHub Copilot suggest tests that match their implementation code.

CData Connect 2021: Query federation, custom schemas

CData announced the newest update to its data connectivity platform: CData Connect 2021. According to CData, the upgrades made to the platform include such new features as query federation, custom schemas, and derived views. These added tools are designed to improve the ways organizations relate to and connect with data.

Query federation rids the user of difficulty while working with related data stored in multiple sources. It allows users to easily join multiple different pieces of related data across any number of platforms in real-time, including cloud applications, RDBMS databases, data warehouses, NoSQL data stores, and flat files, according to the company. To experience the full range of this feature, the data sources must be configured within CData Connect as virtual databases.

Derived views allows the user to define “virtual tables” or save complex SQL queries as ‘Derived Views’ that can be queried on-demand, the company said in its announcement. According to CData, this feature — combined with the addition of query federation — can help organizations break down how a wide range of data assets are used across analytics and data management.

The added Custom Schemas ability allows for more user personalization. This feature also provides a way to define custom data models for APIs with a number of different layers. This is easily done by defining your inputs to generate a custom view of your data which you have the ability to save and simply reuse as data model templates.

Accessibility improvements in Visual Studio

The new improvements include: whitespace rendering, option collecting, Focus Mode, and audio cues. These are aimed at making the platform easier to use for those with disabilities and the neurodivergent community.

According to Microsoft, whitespace rendering would allow for users to customize the number of character spaces filled by whitespace while indenting, regardless of whether they are using tabs or spaces. This works to make the platform more accessible for visually impaired users who may be using large font sizes.

Option collecting provides users with the capability to only see options having to do with accessibility while viewing the displayed options. Reducing the number of options displayed to show just the pertinent ones results in a more easily customizable experience.

According to Microsoft, Focus Mode would function like the “Do Not Disturb” feature on our cell phones. This feature allows the user to be in control of the notifications they are receiving while working. This works not only to reduce distractions but also to customize notifications to the user’s specific needs with the option to choose what they do and don’t want to be notified of.

Audio cues would be particularly useful for the visually impaired community. This feature would offer more options for hooking up audio cues to events in Visual Studio, making the platform more user friendly for those with visual impairments.

Windows 11 makes PC experience personal

With Windows 11, users will have new ways to be productive and connect with people. The upgrade will start being available for eligible Windows 10 PCs late this year.

Visually, it has redesigned the Start menu, added updated transitions, updated the design of Settings, and added new themes. The Start menu is now more personalized, making suggestions on what to open, based on a user’s commonly used apps or recent files.

Windows 11 will also come with Microsoft Teams preinstalled and pinned to the taskbar. Users will be able to treat it more like Apple’s Facetime and start video calls right from their desktop.

It also redesigned the Microsoft Store and will be adding support for Android apps through an upcoming partnership with the Amazon Appstore and Intel Bridge.

It is also making it easier for developers to bring their apps to the Microsoft Store. Developers will now be able to bring apps, whether they’re built as a Win32, Progressive Web App (PWA), Universal Windows App (UWP), or other app framework.

Microsoft has changed its revenue share policy so that developers can bring their own commerce system into their apps and keep 100% of the revenue, where previously they only kept 85%. z

From mask mandates to seeing coworkers and associates through video calls rather than in person, the coronavirus has totally altered the way we work. The way we go about running a business is not exempt from this, as more and more companies transition from in-person workplaces to virtual formats.

There are many benefits and disadvantages to this transformation, and one element of this change is the concept of a virtual interviewing and hiring process when onboarding new employees. The idea of interviews via video calls can seem daunting to both employers and employers alike, but the truth is that digital hiring is quickly becoming the new normal.

Eric Riz, founder of verified data platform Empty Cubicle, says that while seeking out and hiring employees online is not necessarily a new concept, the push for all companies to adopt this practice is stronger now more than ever. “The expectations and the demands on the businesses have become a lot harder. Where organizations had a specific regimented process of how long it would take for an individual to get hired, that has now been modified, ” explained Riz. This modification has been fast-tracked with in-person interviewing and hiring not being an option over the last year and a half.

An interview process that may have taken two rounds in an in-person format could very well take three or even four while conducting interviews online, because it is harder to get a solid read on candidates while viewing them through a screen. On top of this, some companies that may have favored a more old-fashioned approach to hiring have had to make this shift rather quickly, making it challenging to navigate through this new hiring

process.

Not knowing what to expect

In the pre-pandemic world, employers and job seekers knew what to expect going into an interview. Dressing in business casual attire and expecting a firm handshake at the start of the interview was a familiar approach to hiring, but today that is no longer the case. Not only do employers now have to be sure that the candidate being interviewed is right for the job, they also have to ensure that the interviewee is the right person to function effectively through digital means.

“An expectation that everyone knows and uses the technology appropriately, whether they ’ re using Teams or Hangouts or Zoom or anything else, it means that the hiring [expectation] on the employer ’ s side has been increased, ” Riz said. This shouldn ’t come as a surprise; employers expect to have to train new hires on the ins and outs of the business, but when they also

have to go through how to effectively use online platforms for everyday tasks, the length of that training process can be extended, making that candidate less desirable. Finding a candidate who is somewhat tech savvy is playing a more important role in the hiring process because businesses that used to use minimal tech to run their day-to-day operations are now becoming increasingly reliant on it.

Another aspect of online interviewing is that of verifying the credentials of the candidate. Before COVID, when interviews would take place in person, an employer could easily tell that the answers being given by the interviewee were their own words and experiences. However, when viewing someone through a screen, it is hard to tell what information they have access to right in front of them. “As I’ m sitting here in my home office I have four screens in front of me, and you ’ re on one of them, ” he began, looking at me through the computer monitor. “If I put you on another screen and I had a bunch of technical details on the screen in front of me… and I literally

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< continued from page 7 read somebody else ’ s resume… and it looks like I’ ve got all of the answers… but the reality is I’ m none of that, I’ m just sort of a good talker.

Verification a challenge

This is an important aspect of the new normal that people may have glossed over: verifying interviewee details. When interviewing via video call, employers run the risk of candidates telling them what they know they want to hear because they now have the option to look up answers to questions or reference somebody else ’ s experience during the interview. Back before the pandemic, when interviewing took place in person, this was not a huge concern. If for any reason the employer had a feeling the interviewee may be lying on their resume, asking them a question relating to a topic they claim to be proficient in will clear up any confusion. Unfortunately, in a digital setting, verifying this information is not an easy task and it is something employers today, particularly in the technology field, always have to consider when hiring a potential employee.

Another way that COVID-19 has redefined the way companies hire is the added option of prompted video interviews. This is when a hiring manager will take a video asking multiple interview questions — or in the case of developers, to change some functionality in a code snippet in Java, as an example — and then a candidate will have a set amount of time to finish the test, or think of an answer and record a video in response. Verification of interviewee background becomes a problem as it is easier for the applicant to fabricate past professional experience. In an in-person interview setting, the interviewer can see that the applicant is not looking up answers during the interview; while in pre-recorded interviews, it is challenging to tell what are genuine answers and what is the result of a Google search done prior to answering. This can lead to an underqualified candidate making it past the first round of the interview process and thus wasting company time with a second interview.

Vaccine requirements

A new issue facing employers a year and a half into the pandemic is the question of vaccines, especially while hiring new employees. While a company may not be able to require a vaccine to be hired, they can certainly place restrictions on who can and cannot enter the workplace. “Organizations are going to be able to say, ‘I’m sorry but people who have or haven’t had ABC [vaccine] can’t come on site because we can’t risk it, ’” Eric Riz, founder of the verified data platform Empty Cubicle, stated. “As a business owner, you have to look out for your people. ” This becomes a factor in the hiring process because of the added layer employers now have to struggle with. If the most qualified candidate opted not to get vaccinated against COVID-19, is hiring them and placing them in a remote setting, while the majority of other employees are in office, worth it? This also becomes an awkward new aspect to the interview process that has to be addressed. An employer bringing up the topic of vaccines in an interview may derail what could have been a positive conversation beforehand.

The topic of vaccines affects potential employees as well. It has the power to limit the job prospects of those who chose not to get vaccinated, depending on whether or not they are comfortable with or even offered the option of working remotely. Ultimately, the decision falls to the employer of whether or not they want to allow unvaccinated employees into the office.

The issue of vaccines rolling out in many places has also caused the number of people applying for jobs to increase back up to a manageable level. Joe Militello, chief people officer at PagerDuty, said that over the last six months since the vaccines have been introduced, the number of people applying for jobs has risen dramatically. “I would say the vaccinations are playing a huge part in it because that’s what is reducing the COVID rates in many parts of the world, ” Militello said.

However, because the vaccines are not accessible everywhere and there are still those who will opt not to get it, the fight for hiring managers is far from over. The effects of the pandemic will likely still be seen in the interviewing and hiring process for the foreseeable future. On top of vaccinations, Militello also attributed the recent spike in job applicants to the fact that resignations have been rising consistently and the fact that job seekers are looking for a change in their daily lives. Whatever the reason, the workforce is seeing an upward trend that will hopefully continue in the coming months.

Riz also spoke about the technical process of onboarding new employees, both before and after the coronavirus pandemic. He said that while the process has been altered, the baseline of hiring still remains the same. “There’s a whole life cycle and process behind hiring and while that’s been disrupted, it hasn’t changed from a technical level, ” said Riz. This is to say that everything that went into seeking out and interviewing new prospective employees hasn’t changed much at its core. Both before and after COVID, the deeper level of the hiring process involves setting a new employee up with a desk and the correct software and the knowledge needed to thrive within the company. Employers still deal with all of those same struggles, albeit in a different way and to a different degree amid the pandemic.

In the midst of all the chaos surrounding interviewing and hiring under today’s circumstances, Riz’s main advice to job seekers today is to take a very well-thoughtout approach to the job hunt. “I would say right now… assess and analyze your situation and perspective much more and try to create a plan or path for yourself not with hard goals but with soft goals that can be modified based on the world’s conditions, ” is his advice. z

Cultivating culture in a remote workforce

One of the most important and yet overlooked aspects of hiring for remote work due to the pandemic is the issue of company unity and morale. According to Joe Militello, chief people officer at PagerDuty, it is without a doubt challenging to cultivate employee loyalty while operating in a remote format. He said, “That sense of belonging… it’s one thing to think ‘yeah I can operate independently because I have access to technology and I’m a responsible human being, ’ but it’s also about that emotional connection to the company. ” This connection can be difficult to manifest in a setting where all employees are not working together. This also affects the way an interviewee may feel about the company in the first place.

Back when the majority of interviews took place in an in-person setting, when the applicant entered the workspace, they could feel the energy of the people around them. Oftentimes, they would be able to tell based on feeling alone if the environment was a good fit or not. With this no longer being an option in most workplaces, it can be nearly impossible to gauge the loyalty of current employees unless the applicant were to reach out to a member of the team personally. Not having this sense of team spirit and shared camaraderie among employees can prove to be difficult for both employers and prospective candidates.

In terms of creating employee loyalty, employers can struggle and job candidates can find their issues in terms of feeling out the environment and people they will be working with if hired for the position. “They can do the job, but in six months if they don’t identify with the company and they don’t feel like they belong there, they’re going to leave, ” Militello said. According to Militello, employers now have to work even harder to ensure that the work environment is positive and fosters employee connection, whether that happens remotely or otherwise. Shannon Hogue, global head of solutions engineering at Karat, pointed out that the elimination of geographic constraints that comes along with remote hiring gives potential employees greater freedom. She believes that candidates who are interviewing and working remotely now have the option to go through many more job postings than what would have been available to them in a company that requires reporting to an office. This allows for them to then choose the one that speaks to them the most and not be limited by the locations of the company.

“Work is hard, startups are hard, tech is tough especially for… under-represented communities. It’s a tough place to be and so if you don’t believe in the mission, if you don’t truly believe that you’re making a difference… it’s really easy to move on to the next thing, ” She explained.

Since the beginning of the pandemic and the shift towards remote hiring and working, doors have opened for job applicants to find positions that mean more to them because of the absence of a geographic requirement. She added, “If you want to retain folks, you need to make sure that they believe in your mission. ” This may very likely be the key to developing employee loyalty in a remote working world. When an employee is working for a company they love in a position that makes them feel fulfilled, the issue of turnover and loyalty can become obsolete.

This is one of the most positive impacts the pandemic has had on hiring and interviewing for both job seekers and employers. Hogue continued, “Do I think that they are going to get uncomfortable with having a lot of options? Absolutely not! In fact the more options the better. It means that we are going to start seeing the best diversity in thought and in talent with the best companies. ” Here, she explained why this new universal remote hiring is beneficial on both sides of the spectrum. Employers are gaining more diverse and informed points of view to enrich their companies while employees are getting the opportunity to gain a more filled-out view of the job options and companies available to them nation and even worldwide. Having the access to these different companies and cultures provides access to a diversity pipeline that is fairly new to the hiring world, she said. z

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According to Riz, this kind of prerecorded prompted interviewing also poses a whole different set of obstacles on the interviewee ’ s side, “I think that you ’ re testing people… the whole idea of an interview is to have a conversation and create a rapport. ” Taking away the personalization of a live interview can make the candidate feel trapped and trigger something similar to a fight-orflight response resulting in unnecessary panic, Riz said.

The added time pressure this method of interviewing has can also cause the interviewee to speak too quickly out of fear that the allotted time will run out and, therefore, lead to miscommunication. “If I’ m the candidate… and their rapid-firing questions at me that I have to answer in a specific period of time, it changes the whole dynamic, ” Riz explained. This shift in dynamic will inevitably have an effect on the way questions are answered. Therefore, it has the power to completely alter the trajectory of an interview. Riz continues, “I’ m being tested which means I’ m going to emotionally and psychologically respond differently… and you ’ re not going to get a true response that’ s reflective of the individual. ” When interviewees feel this kind of pressure, even the most well prepared and qualfied candidates may not be answering to the best of their ability. z