Top 7 most popular programming languages to learn

*This blog has been picked up by the Economic Times Tech *

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Which is the most preferred programming languages or the top programming languages to learn across the globe? How do we judge it and what should be the criteria?

‘By most preferred language, we do not mean Java is superior to C++ or Python is better than MATLAB. Through this analysis, we are trying to figure out the languages most preferred by users, and ones that are most in demand in the industry.’

C++, MATLAB, Java have always been technical institutes favorite, and most of the fresh graduates end up with great skills in these languages.

But what if the best programming languages they know is not the immediate skills required by the industry? Or what if it is on the wane? 

According to our research, these are the top programming languages to learn will be –

• Javascript
• Java
• Python
• PHP
• R
• Matlab
• Arduino
• Swift

Let’s see what coding languages programmers prefer and which languages experts the industry is actually looking for.We decided to dig data from few credible programming language index website and sources where most developers hone up their programming skills. Also delved into global portals like Indeed and Glassdoor to identify programming languages that tech companies are looking for.

TIOBE Index

The TIOBE programming community index is a measure of the popularity of programming languages, created and maintained by the TIOBE Company based in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. TIOBE stands for “The Importance Of Being Earnest.” TIOBE ranks the languages based on the number of search engine queries which contain the language as a keyword. For TIOBE the numbers are based on searching of Web with certain phrases.

TIOBE indexes only the Turing-complete languages, hence it does not consider SQL and HTML. Per the 2016 November index, Java still remains the top programming language, C and C++ still retain their popularity on search indexes with ranks 2 and 3, respectively. Surprisingly, Visual Basic and Python got higher rankings as compared to Javascript, and Assembly language made it to top 10 as well.

Scott Meyers, author of Effective C++ book series and winner of Dr. Dobb’s Journal Excellence in Programming Award speaks 

“In my view, C++ remains an important programming language, because the strengths it’s had since its inception continue to be compelling to software developers in a wide range of projects. In a talk I gave in 2014 (“Why C++ Sails when the Vasa Sank”), I summarized those strengths as follows:

Compatibility with C.

Very general features.

Paradigm agnosticism.

Commitment to systems programming.

Dedication to backwards-compatibility.

I also remarked that C++ is most suited for demanding systems applications: systems with constraints that are not easily technically satisfied. For such applications, it’s often the case that the only serious competitor to C++ is C, and C++ offers much more powerful abstraction and modeling capabilities.”

PYPL

The PYPL PopularitY of Programming Language Index “is created by analyzing how often programming languages tutorials are searched on Google.” In terms of popularity on search engines, worldwide, Java is the winner being top programming language to learn for years; in the last five years, Python moved up the ranks faster than others (6.8%), whereas PHP nosedived (-5.0%). Here are the PYPL best programming languages for 2016.

StackOverflow

Stack Overflow is a question-and-answer platform. It has over 4 million users with 10 million questions on the platform. Based on the number of questions, more people use Javascript compared to any other language. PHP seems to be dropping compared to Node and Angular

GitHub

Ahead of its annual conference in September 2016, Github shared its report here.

It was amazing to see its scale with more than 19.4 million active repositories and above 5.8 million active users over last 12 months. It shared the list of languages trending on the platform, it isn’t much surprise to see Javascript leading- but the degree to which it outstrips its nearest competitor is.

 

HackerEarth

We at HackerEarth provide tons of coding challenges for our users every month and hundreds of hiring challenges for companies looking for recruitment. With our platform supporting over 30 programming languages, users can happily pick one they are most comfortable with. There’s no bias; the company has no favorites as far as the languages are concerned.

With more than 1 million programmers connected on HackerEarth, we decided to scour our database to identify the language that was most preferred by our programmers or the ‘best programming language’ to use across the globe. For coding C++, Java, Python, and C# are favorite among the major population.

Prof Adrian Runceanu from Constantin Brancusi University has more than 16 years of experience in C++, Java, Oracle. Read what he has to say about why C++ still maintains its position in the top 10 programming languages.

 

“I think C/C++ is used because it offers a good mechanism for using pointers. We could create portable applications in this language. I believe C/C++ is easy for learn, that’s why students like to create applications using this programming language. The others language (Javascript, Java, Python) could be used to develop web applications, but C/C++ could not be used in this way. I don’t know what is the future of this language, but I believe C++ will continue to dominate in future.”

 

Indeed

Indeed.co.in, available in 50 countries and 28 languages, is one of the most high-traffic job websites in the United States.

Going by the number of jobs listed with the language keyword, Java ranks first, and it has no close competitor. But PHP, C, and Javascript are neck and neck. I. The surprise contender on the list is R.

What do professionals feel about these top programming languages?

Prof Deepak Garg is an expert in Data Mining and Algorithms and the IEEE Computer Society India Council Chair. Says

              “We are seeing bridging of gaps in the fundamental building blocks of many tools and applications in the computing industry. This has resulted in the evolution of more sophisticated languages which are at more higher level than the previous ones. It helps the programmer to concentrate more on logic and working part of the application than the complex structures and syntax in implementing the standard data types and constructs”

 

Glassdoor

This portal came into existence so that employees can review their organization and rate their experience.Glassdoor had been listing developer based job

When it comes to the job category, the industry has been looking for Java developers, followed by Javascript. While the developers prefer R to C++, Python and Perl making fast progress as well.

Viral Shah, Co-founder, and CEO of Julia Computing Says

The world is changing rapidly, and increasingly programmers are no longer willing to trade performance for productivity. High performance computing that was once restricted to scientists, is now mainstream due to deep learning and AI applications. In 2016, we saw Julia applications for algorithmic trading, self-driving cars, 3D printing, risk management, medical diagnostics, air safety, parallel supercomputing and astrophysics. These applications and use cases are expected to  explode in 2017 as Julia 1.0 is released, and learning frameworks become easier to use.

Best programming languages to learn

While Java and Javascript could possibly remain industry favorites with their web-based services, Google’s GO has been “up and coming” for a few years and will be a great language to learn. Ruby is a favorite among the startups and has been for some time; by no means is its popularity expected to diminish in the near future. Mozilla’s RUST and Facebook’s HACK (Over 90% Facebook code is being written in it) and Julia are bound to join these lists but not in the first half of 2017.

Top Programming languages to learn will be –

• Javascript – Scripting language for the worldwide web. As the web take over our universe, so is the use of Javascript which is predominantly used for a web application. A good front-end tool, which could be used in all environment. From adding effects to creating basic functionality games, javascript is industry favorite and top popular programming language to learn.
• Java – Most common programming language as on the day. Used for Android development and most of the financial systems around the world. Java is prominently preferred for its speed and performance. Rated best programming language to learn for years, it’s always good to keep your skills updated.
• R – With the world’s growing obsession with statistics and data analysis, R is the language you need to add to your portfolio. It would not be inaccurate to say that R could be the most sought after language in 2017 if you go by the increasing number of jobs related to R advertised on job portals.
• MATLAB – Once a hardcore language for mathematicians and scientists, MATLAB is back as the interest in analytics and statistics is growing. More developers are going back to MATLAB as the complexity of mathematical analysis is increasing.
• SQL – As more and more people are getting onboard technology, the database has been increasing exponentially.If you are interested in managing the database, SQL is made for you. Termed Special purpose language, SQL is made for a special purpose, unlike general purpose language. Used almost everywhere where database management is required. SQL is a great skill to learn.
• Arduino – IoT is here to stay! And embedded-based programming will be a key player too. Arduino is not a new language; it is a set of C and C++ functions. With more embedded chips waiting to be coded, Arduino will be the new skill to pick up in 2017.
• Swift – When Apple, in response to developers’ complaints, decided to come up with Swift to replace Objective-C, it was bound to be a favorite among the developers. As of now, iOS developers are spinning codes as quickly as others and as they come out in the market use of swift would only expand. If the mobile side appeals to you, then learning Swift should be a part of your 2017 resolutions!

This does not mean that other languages will be added to the list of “dead” languages or have no takes in 2017. It just means that the wind could be blowing in another direction altogether. No harm in being prepared, right? 

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