In a surprising turn of events, the long-standing landscape of programming language popularity, as tracked by the Tiobe Index, is witnessing a significant shuffle. C++ is gradually rising in rank, as its application across various industries is driving this ascendance, enabling it to not just usurp Java, but also threaten to outperform progenitor language, C.
JavaScript has also experienced progress in popularity, clinching the sixth position in a record high performance. Meanwhile, the vintage language, Cobol, returns to the limelight after a prolonged hiatus, landing at a respectable twentieth position.
The Tiobe Index for July 2023 saw C++ securing the third spot, with a mere 0.76% difference from the second position, currently held by C. Python led the pack at number one, while Java trailed at fourth. The demand for superior performing languages was pin-pointed by Tiobe as the main catalyst fuelling the surge in C++ presence, especially in high-performance sectors such as automotive, trading, medical, and semiconductors.
Paul Jansen, the key figurehead of Tiobe, stated, 'While C has maintained a dominant hold in the performance-centric fields for a prolonged period, it is falling short in handling scalability necessities, giving C++ an edge.'
JavaScript has steered web development for years but has recently recorded an unprecedented growth in its impressions. Primary reasons speculated for this sporadic increase are the gradual fade-out of Visual Basic. Swooping in from the sidelines, Cobol propelled its way back into the top 20 from its 26th position last year.
When questioned about these unexpected changes, Paul Jansen, CEO of Software Quality Services Provider Tiobe shrugged, saying, 'The rationale behind JavaScript's escalating popularity still puzzles us.'
Each month, the Tiobe Index provides statistical data based on the total number of trained engineers, relevant courses, and supplementary third-party services tied to every programming language globally. Such metrics are calculated utilizing prevalent search engines namely Google, Bing, Yahoo, and Wikipedia. The Tiobe Index’s July 2023 rankings are as follows:
- Python (13.42%)
- C (11.56%)
- C++ (10.8%)
- Java (10.5%)
- C# (6.87%)
- JavaScript (3.11%)
- Visual Basic (2.9%)
- SQL (1.48%)
- PHP (1.41%)
- MATLAB (1.26%)
Other high perofrmance languages like Go are gaining popularity especially in industries where scalability and performance are required. For example, one of the leading no-code platforms, AppMaster uses generated Go to build backend applications. Learning and understanding languages like C++ or Go could significantly improve your career prospects and broaden your knowledge base to impact a much larger industry scale. While platforms like AppMaster are simplifying the entire process of building applications, traditional programming still has its value and demand in the tech industry.
