Programming languages evolve with usage and technology. What are the most popular programming languages today? The ORSYS editorial team presents its 2022 ranking. We talk to Serge Gueguen, Head of Digital Development at ORSYS.
Programming languages are also following the trend. Of the 9,000 or so languages referenced by HOPL, which tracks the history of programming languages, only around 150 are currently in use, according to the Community Programming Index. TIOBE.
The arrival of new technologies, new behaviours and working methods, new updates... programming languages are going to be more or less favoured by developers and in demand on the IT market.
With new job opportunities come new training and development needs. As a training organisation, ORSYS has seen demand evolve. The editorial team has therefore drawn up its own 2022 ranking, with the help of Serge Gueguen, educational engineer and head of the development of the digital offering.
Note : The ranking has been established on the basis of the number of participants in our training courses over one year, between June 2021 and June 2022.
1. JavaScript
From ORSYS's point of view, there's a very pragmatic explanation for this top position in the rankings: it's the programming language for which we offer the most training. This is no coincidence, as Serge Gueguen points out, JavaScript is an essential language. "It will be found in all client-side web applications. It's the language that adds interactivity to web pages by being executed by the browser.
Behind every web interface is JavaScript, the language interpreted by default by browsers. It is standardised by the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium), an international standards organisation, it is indeed the language used in web development for programming the interfacealongside HTML for content and CSS for layout.
However, it owes much of its popularity to its ecosystem. A dynamic, front-end-oriented language, JavaScript is used through development frameworks for greater efficiency. "The most popular of them today are Angularan open source framework originally created by Google, and Reactwhich was designed by Facebook teams. All of which will ensure that JavaScript remains at the top of the class for a long time to come.
2. Python
Although it narrowly missed out on first place, Python nevertheless enjoys undeniable popularity. (See our dedicated article) "We're getting more and more requests for training in Python".confirms Serge Gueguen. "We've also increased the number of courses we offer! Seven new courses have been created in recent months, including Python for data science, Python automate your office tasks and Python, an introduction to economic and scientific data processing.
Python's greatest strength is its extreme versatility, coupled with great accessibility. As it is the language used in schools to introduce children at CM1/CM2 level to programming, it is easy to understand that it can be learned and used by non-computer scientists in the workplace. It is used, for example, by data scientistswho are not trained computer scientists. Python is free to use. It does not belong to any publisher and can be used on just about any machine.
Above all, it can be used in a wide range of applications. "Python can be used to develop applications for programming connected objects, Arduino boards, etc. It can also be used for server-side web development via the Internet. Django frameworkor to do cartography, image processing...". Hence the Python libraries, which provide access to a wide range of tools. "Many libraries have been supplied for the scientific computingWe're also working on big data processing with the Pandas library, the Spark framework and artificial intelligence. We've even added Python training which uses the Exaion supercomputer (a subsidiary of EDF), one of the biggest in Europe! To sum up, Python is a simple and very accessible language, which allows you to work on very popular subjects.
3. Java
As one of the oldest languages, Java, whose reputation is well established, is losing points to Python's promising youth or because it is considered more difficult to learn. Nevertheless, it remains one of the most sought-after languages.
The main difference between Python and Java is that the former is more geared towards specific professions (cartographers, data scientists, etc.). Java is certainly versatile, but it is oriented towards applications related to information systems. "We're in pure IT, in information processing, but in the IS sense. Succeeding Cobolwhich was the language used to process management information systems (banks, insurance companies, etc.), is now at the heart of information systems.It will also "complement current Cobol processing".says Serge Gueguen.
"Today, in the majority of cases, we will find Java interfaced with Oracle databases. A bit like JavaScript, we will use frameworksA particularly rich ecosystem has been built around the language over the last twenty years. Java is also the mobile development language for the Android operating system. So there's little to fear for this veteran: in 2022, Java skills will still be in great demand.
4. C#
The C# language is published by Microsoft, and depends on the .NET framework whose many features are much appreciated. It is Java's main competitor. "The two languages arrived on the market at roughly the same time, and their differences lie mainly in the way they are used. As Serge Gueguen explains, "The main advantage of C# and .NET is that they belong to Microsoft". Everything is done with C#: office automation, Exchange developments (messaging), interfaces for collaborative working on the intranet... Everything is done with C#.
The .Net environment therefore has the advantage over the Java environment of simplified interfacing for companies' internal IT systems. A detail that explains, among other things, its good position in the rankings - and constantly threatens that of Java.
5. C and C++
Last in our ranking are C and C++. Contrary to what you might think, these are not the youngest languages, dating back to the 1970s. And their main asset is their performance.
They may be fairly complex to learn, but they can be well worth the effort. To get started, C and C++ are compiled languages the code must be translated by a compiler before it can be executed, i.e. interpreted directly by the machine. "Conversely, C#, Python, Java and JavaScript are interpreted languages.says Serge Gueguen. "The advantage is that the code can run on different machines, but you have to go through a phase of interpreting the code before it can be executed. C and C++, on the other hand, can be executed directly on the machine, which means greater speed and performance.
C is an 'imperative' programming language (responding to instructions, manipulating variables). C++ is also an imperative programming language, but with the added dimension of object-oriented programming.... " We can say that C++ is object-oriented C. The basic syntax between the two languages is the same, but C++ offers an additional conceptual level."
In all cases, C and C++ are highly sought-after in areas requiring performance IoT, embedded systems, operating systems (Android, Unix, Linux...), robotics, the video game industry... Everything suggests that these "ancestors" of programming still have a bright future ahead of them.
Rust, Go, Swift... the stars of the future
Behind this top 5, other recently created languages are gaining ground. These include Rust. Designed by Mozilla Research in 2010, this language is seductive for its speed, with performance comparable to that of C or C++, and for its economy and security in terms of memory. With no runtime environment or garbage collector to manage memory, it runs perfectly on Windows, macOS, Linux or embedded systems. Its compiler signals code errors and helps you correct them. It is also very popular as a system language.
Go is also a trendy language, particularly for back-end development and system programming. It is also used in some blockchain developments. Inspired by C and Pascal, Go is a compiled language developed by Google in 2009. Its creators wanted a language that was easy to use like Python, fast to execute like C++ but very quickly compilable. Go is very easy to learn.
Swift is also a language on the rise. Created by Apple in 2014, it is open source and forms the development foundation for Apple devices running macOS, iOS, watchOS and tvOS. It ensures rapid app development, but is not very well suited to other platforms.
