Programming is a progressing industry and the future is every bit as important as any present. Every time you look at the world of tech and programming you’ll notice that is has changed in comparison to the last you checked on it. If programming plays a role in your life in any way possible, then it is important that you know where and how to bet on your developmental future. It is crucial in programming world to plan the future and to know what will work best for you in advance. Consider programming languages. While exactly predicting the future of IT may seem like a stretch, it is definitely possible to make projections based on experience and trends.
In keeping with our experience and with the inspiration from our love for programming we have stipulated a list of top 11 languages that we think will dominate the year 2017 and will be good to learn for making a career or hobby in coming years.
Have a look! Do you agree? Or you don’t!! Why?? Let us know (below in the comments section)
Java
The logo for this language will have most laymen believe that it is in fact a coffee brand or a coffee place, but don’t be fooled by looks. This is one of the most popular and widely applied programming languages that have been around since the 1990s. The language was developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems, which is currently owned by the Oracle Corporation.
We believe that this language will be every bit as present and dominant (if not more) as it has been in the past. And guess we are not alone in this belief. The TIOBE index which measures the popularity of various programming languages iterates the fact that Java is the most popular and a largely preferred programming language. There are many features/ aspects of Java that deem it the most popular, some such features are:
- The fact that Java is independent i.e. its operational abilities do not depend on the hardware and/ or the software of the device it is running on. In simpler terms this language can run on any device, irrespective.
- Java is not faded by any sort of scalability issues, as is apparent by the numerous large enterprises that are using Java. It has been used for mere applications (games such as Temple Run, Angry Birds etc.) and has worked equally well for business software for many fortune 500 companies.
- The language also garners full points when it comes to the performance and reliability.
All in all, it will not at all be a stretch to claim that Java will continue its dominant spree in the year 2017. So if you are anybody, who wants to be somebody or wants to try their hand at programming, Java is the way to go.
JavaScript
An integral part of the World Wide Web, JavaScript (i.e. JS) is foundationally important for all things “Web”. It is a dynamic language which makes possible the interaction between client-side script and the users. A language like JS which has been standardized by ECMA Script cannot be forgotten in the future, at least not for as far ahead as we can peek into. If this does not seem like reason enough to make JavaScript a part of our top programming languages for 2017, listed below are a few advantages of this language. These are sure to convince you that JS isn’t going to vanish.
- Since JS is an interpreted language, you won’t need a special program when in need of creating usable code. This might be reason enough for some programmers to hang onto JS a little while longer.
- The fact that the language is executed client-side, gives the developer the ability to run code functions almost immediately, and irrespective of where the JavaScript is hosted.
- The syntax’s of this language are extremely flexible and hence easy to work with for developers.
- Another added advantage of using JavaScript is that it supports all of the modern browsers while producing same results all across.
- Many additional tools have been written (or developed) in addition to the core of the language making it easier, interesting and functionally better to use.
- Also there is a lot of pre-written JavaScript that has been made available by many programmers; people can just use the pre-existing scripts and plug them into their webpage (s).
That being said, we cannot deny that there are some security and other concerns with this language; but nothing is as strong an influence to lead to its extinction.
Python
The Python Software Foundation makes available a language that we think will have some level of dominance in the year 2017. Yes- Python!
Guido von Rossum, known as the BDFL (Benevolent Dictator For Life) in the Python community, developed this language in 1990. And since the time Python made its first appearance in the February of 1991, the language has been evolving with a team of dedicated programmers/ volunteers working towards keeping it sharp and making it freely available for all.
Now why do we think Python will be one of the top languages of 2017? Or rather why should you take a chance of learning this language? Here’s why!
- Python is definitely a very versatile language. Its application is possible to almost any operations scenario or the software development possibility in today’s time.
- Not only that, Python is completely script friendly and it is possible to run it on all major operating systems.
The above two are very good reasons to hang onto this soon to be 28 yrs old language in 2017. But for those seeking more, Python will definitely not disappoint.
- It is also observed that Python is an easy-to-learn language and any newcomer who learns Python as his/her first programming language will end up with strong foundation for learning other languages as well.
- Python helps in solving complex problems comparatively faster and it is more flexible thus allowing coders with greater amount of freedom. However this might quickly turn into a disadvantage if you don’t pay attention to your codes.
Nonetheless, with all its advantages and with constant evolution as hand, Python seems to be one of the languages of the future.
C++
Pronounced C-plus plus, this is another general purpose object oriented programming language that takes off of the programming language C. It was also developed by Bell Labs (just like C) but this time in collaboration with Bjarne Stroustrup, a Danish computer scientist. An extension for C, this language first appeared in the year 1983 about 11 years after C made its first appearance.
Of all the languages listed here, C++ is by far the most difficult to learn and get accustomed to. But once you get comfortable with it, you will start reaping the benefits. For most parts C++ is basically C, but with additional features. For example C++ is object-oriented which C is not. When it comes to application software, client server application, drivers and firmware, C++ is widely used and well liked. This is why we believe that C++ is going to exist as one of the top languages of the year 2017.
So the language that came as a pre-processor to C eventually evolved and became a competitor to C instead. And that really is something! C++ is another language that is widely used and taught across universities. Some of the endearing features of C++ which ensures its dominance include the following:
- It has huge scope of scalability. No matter what you are building with C++, scalability will definitely not be an issue.
- Since the language is static, it is very fast.
- There is regular addition of new features and additional standards to this language, making evolution one of its strong suits.
The robustness, the speed, the classes and many other features are enough for us to believe that this programming language will garner some programmer love in 2017.
Ruby
In the 1990s, Yukihito Matsumoto a Japanese computer scientist was working on developing a programming language that would be dynamic, object oriented and reflective. The results of his toil culminated into a programming language that we all know as- Ruby.
The language was first released in 1995. And even though it has been around for more than two decades, it existence became more prominent after the release of the Rails framework. The condition at present is that, Ruby is considered a powerful language which we believe will be at par with the other programming languages that dominate the year 2017.
The Rails framework gives the language an edge and makes it faster; thus also making it more enticing to work with it. Ruby is also considered by many programmers to have a different style which appeals to their programmer-y senses. Other reasons which make Ruby worthy of being on this list are:
- There are lot of pre-written/ pre-existing libraries and frameworks which make working with Ruby easier in comparison to some other languages.
- There’s more flexibility in working with Ruby and there are more than one ways to get the same thing done.
- While Ruby was actually developed on Linux, it works equally well across all the other platforms (actually we’d say most other platforms).
- The fact that Ruby creator was inspired by Perl, Ada, Lisp and other modern languages, has resulted in this languages being more readable and easier for those already familiar with other languages.
Many huge corporations and entities are using Ruby. For example, Ruby on Rails was used to develop Twitter. Ruby is also quite popular amongst and is preferred by startups and developers alike. So go ahead and discover this language, and it just might change your programming world forever, who knows?
Swift
This language appeared only two and a half years ago out of the multinational tech company- Apple Inc. Chris Lattner a software developer at Apple was known as the proud author of LLVM, but in 2014 he added the language Swift to his list of creations.
This multi-paradigm, general purpose language was primarily developed for macOS, iOS, watchOS, Linux and tvOS. Also while Swift was a proprietary language when launched in 2014, by the time of its second upgrade to version 2.2, the language was made open-source. It is now available under the Apache License 2.0, as of 3rd December, 2015. Since becoming open-source there has been a rise in the number of people using it, teaching it, researching it and more. It hence is probably a good idea to jump on the Swift bandwagon and be a part of the evolution of this rather new language.
Another reason that led us to place Swift on the list of languages we expect to dominate the year 2017 is that it works as a great alternative to Objective-C and employs the modern concepts of programming that remained in theory till date. The language itself is built so as to optimize development and the Swift compiler provides optimization in terms of performance. This combo of qualities offered by Swift render it a suitable and important place in the year 2017.
Another point to keep in mind when considering Swift’s position on this list and in your future endeavors is, if you future plans include association with Apple applications in any form, this language will definitely be important.
PHP
PHP is short for Hypertext Pre-Processor; and is a programming language which is generally used for server side scripting. Rasmus Lerdorf, the programmer of Greenlandic- Danish origin, is the creator of this language. The language made its first debut in the year 1995 and has been developing since.
Lerdorf once stated that creating PHP as a new programming language was not his actual intention. He was simply trying to extend the CGI (s) he wrote to maintain his personal homepage, into something that could also work with web forms etc. But once he started, the language grew organically and he merely added one logical step after another. Well, as interesting as the story of this language’s origin is, its future is going to be just as interesting and bright. Yes, we believe that this language is definitely going to be prominent in 2017. And here’s why-
- One of the most drawing benefits of using PHP is its ability to interact efficiently with numerous database languages (such as MySQL etc.).
- When it comes to web development, PHP is used widely across the globe. PHP is a base programming language to most of the CMS (s); and all reputed ones anyway. So why would someone think of this language as a thing of the past. We sure don’t!
- Another very good thing about PHP is that it is extremely easy to get started with. I mean you really don’t need to be a perfectionist expert in PHP to make it work (though it doesn’t hurt to be one, right!).
- It is very easy to scale up with PHP. The shared nothing architect of the language makes it pro-scalability.
- And we would like to end our argument on the benefits of this language by mentioning that the documentation for PHP is undeniably the best on the web.
The C Programming Language
One of the oldest programming languages out there, C made its first appearance about 45 years ago in the year 1972. The language was developed by Dennis Ritchie at the Bell Labs, and since its inception the language has come a long way.
For decades, this language has persisted and stayed as one of the top programming languages, and by our estimations that is not going to change anytime in the near future. This imperative, general purpose computer programming language supports structured programming. The language is as powerful as it was, and is a great solution to when you want to directly influence hardware by bypassing SDKs and APIs.
Most programmers work with multiple languages and C is a great stepping stone for progressing in the world of programming languages. The various data types and the operators render the programs coded in C extremely efficient and above par. This is another reason why programmers will not let go of this language and it hence has every possibility of being dominant in 2017 as well. Another fact that adds to the popularity of this language is that it is the mostly commonly used language across industry and also in universities and colleges. The language meets all the international standards, falls into all the recommendations and is essential part of programming today.
If these reasons, facts and qualities are not enough to establish how C will be one of the languages that dominate 2017, we don’t know what will be!
C#
[read- “C sharp”] Conceived as a more evolved, simplistic and refined language off of C; C-sharp was designed back in 2000. Developed within the .NET framework initiative of Microsoft, the language has since attained the multi-paradigm language status. It is a general purposing programming language that’s object- oriented. Its latest version was released in 2015, and its next version is currently under development.
There are many advantages and distinguishing features of this language which make it one of the languages to be learned. These advantages and distinguishing features include
- An automatic garbage collection mechanism
- The reflection capabilities
- CIL- the fact that it is complied with intermediate language which helps it and you work independently.
- The ability to define classes within classes
- Simplicity of multithreading
- Delegates- cleaner event management
- Since it is written in the .NET framework, it can access code written in and inherit classes written in any .NET compliant language
- It may be considered as rather unrestrictive and liberal in comparison to other languages like Java etc.
- Indexers
- Generics
- The interoperability model of C-sharp makes it easier to work with this language
Considering these features and advantages we believe that the language does live up to its name and is definitely sharper than many others in its league. As the general programmer consensus goes- once you have gained some experience with this language, you will actually start having fun. Well, there is only one way to find that out right!!
HTML
In the late 1990, Tim Berners-Lee a physicist by profession, wrote the server and browser software for the Hyper Text Markup Language, which came to be known as HTML for short. Even decades later, this language persists with its relevance and importance in programming. Yes it is not a programming language per se, but it still chalks a spot here.
Not only is HTML widely considered the building blocks for learning any web language, most websites are also built with HTML (making it an essential part of programming). The W3C (World Wide Web consortium) recommends HTML. These facts not only represent how viable and important HTML is, but also prove that this language deserves a place on the mantle alongside all the languages that we expect to dominate the year 2017.
An intriguing and hence attention worthy feature of HTML is that it functions equally well in coordination with multiple popular programming languages. These languages including but are not limited to Ruby, Java, PHP and Python etc. So it will be fit to state that HTML is a universal. And who wouldn’t want to be a part of the universal, right!
If you still more of a push in the direction of HTML, here are a few other ways in which HTML will make your life better:
- While having a WYSIWYG might seem enough and efficient in functioning to you, but remember it is not a perfect alternative, nothing can be. The only way out is to go ahead and learn HTML.
- In addition to building the frame, the HTML visual tools (such as Muse, Dreamweaver etc.) make the web designing job easier.
- Learning a little, even a smidge (if that is what you can) of HTML will prove beneficial for all those who are regular bloggers by making it simpler to insert media, custom the layout etc.
- Most minor website and info update functions are easier to perform when you know a little bit of HTML.
So now you understand why we say that HTML will be on the dominant side of the programming world in 2017. So don’t wait up, go ahead and learn as much of HTML as you need. Because HTML is not relinquishing its powers yet!
Perl
Another programming language that has been in existence for more than two decades- Perl- appeared in the December of 1987. Larry Wall this designing for (initially) text processing. But since its initial days the language has evolved and with a variety of version, has become a dynamic, general purpose programming language. Wall took inspiration from many other languages including sh, sed, AWK and C while creating Perl.
At present the much more evolved Perl is being used by programmers not only to get the simpler tasks (like simple scripting and reporting) done, but also on applications. There are many positives to this language which have pushed us into believe that this language is not going to sustain with dominance in 2017. The reasons we believe will keep Perl in demand are:
- Perl is a terse language and it works comparatively (to other languages) fast when it comes to string processing.
- With Perl 5 references, the language has attained the same level of functionality as any other language; and is still quite simplistic in comparison to some other languages.
- Perl is rather good for running simple analysis i.e. statistical analysis and data mining.
- Perl is readily available on both UNIX and Mac OS X, so for those working with these will definitely find comfort in knowing Perl.
Honorable mentions:
Go & Scala both deserve a spot here we will definitely see increased demand and use of these languages in coming years.
So this comes as the last on our list of top 11 languages that will dominate 2017.
We know that all of the languages mentioned above have numerous positive things going, and it is difficult to pin point only one language that is the best. But the thing is, which language is best actually depends on the kind of work you do and your requirements as a programmer. Nonetheless, these are the languages to vouch for as the future dominators of programming. So go ahead and pick out the language that best works for you and get cracking.
