SlashData: JavaScript and Python boast largest developer communities

A new report from SlashData highlights the huge growth in the global developer community over the past six months.

The developer economy research specialists estimate there are now 24.3 million global developers, as of Q1 2021. This has increased by around 14 percent from 21.3 million in October 2020.

JavaScript continues to attract new developers with around 1.4 million more than six months ago. The language also has, by some distance, the largest developer community at...

27 April 2021 | Java

Happy 30th birthday Python: Why the language is a favourite to so many

February 20 2021 marks 30 years since the Python programming language was launched by its creator, Guido von Rossum. It is known as an incredibly versatile language, used in developing some of the most popular web applications, from Instagram to Dropbox. At the same time, it is a gateway language for many who are first being introduced to the world of software development. It is frequently taught to schoolchildren and people worldwide who lack any prior programming...

22 February 2021 | Development Tools

O’Reilly: Python leads languages, React for web development, and ML/AI interest grows

Education giant O’Reilly has released data about its online platform which highlights some interesting software development trends.

The headline finding is that Python continues to be the programming language with the most interest.

Given the growth in topics relating to Python such as AI – and the language often considered the best to pick up for new developers – it’ll perhaps come of little surprise to hear of its popularity.

O’Reilly highlights...

27 January 2021 | JavaScript

Brain activity while coding differs from processing language or doing maths

Neuroscientists from MIT have discovered that brain activity while coding differs from processing language or doing mathematics.

Coding is often likened to learning a new foreign language—and there are certainly many similarities. To the brain itself, however, it seems to be quite different.

The researchers took fMRI brain scans of young adults taking part in a small coding challenge using both Python and visual programming language ScratchJr to see what parts of their...

4 January 2021 | Languages

Python: Is it right for my business?

There is a plethora of choice when it comes to different programming languages. Python is just one of many widely used, but boasts the likes of Google, Youtube, Instagram and Spotify as some of the household names adopting it. 

So, why should a business choose Python over the likes of Java for its programming language and what role does Python play? These decisions are more complex than a simple, ‘pros and cons’ list in software development. Each has different use cases, and...

18 December 2020 | Languages

State of the Octoverse 2020: Devs increase productivity despite pandemic

GitHub’s latest State of the Octoverse has been released, offering developer insights for a year which has been unlike any other.

Fortunately, software development is one industry which could adapt quickly to the unique circumstances brought about by the pandemic. Many developers already work remotely so, for some, minimal-to-no changes were required to their working habits during lockdowns.

56 million developers used GitHub in 2020—making over 1.9 billion...

2 December 2020 | Git

TIOBE Index: Python slithers ahead of Java for the first time

The latest edition of the TIOBE Index has been released and highlights Python’s continued growth in popularity.

Here are the top 10 most popular languages according to TIOBE’s November 2020 index:

The most notable change in the top 10 is that exchange of places between Java and Python.

Python was created by Guido van Rossum and first released in 1991. The language has gained popularity in recent years due to its reputation of being relatively simple to...

6 November 2020 | Java

Julia developers reveal continued affinity for Python – and would otherwise use it

Half of what this article will say is not meaningless: a new user survey from the arbiters of dynamic programming language Julia has underlined the importance of Python for its community, as well as wider data science applications.

The results were based on a poll of more than 2,500 users and developers of the MIT-created language in June. Python was clear as the second placed language - behind Julia, of course - both in terms of usage and appreciation.

58% of those...

27 August 2020 | Development Tools

Python holds its ground as Java slides in Redmonk’s language rankings

Programming language Python has had a good week, but the same can't be said for Java.

In language rankings this month released by IEEE, Python ranked number one with a comfortable lead ahead of Java. It's similar news in Redmonk's rankings this week.

Redmonk's biannual rankings measures GitHub pull requests and Stack Overflow queries over a period of six months to get an idea of the popularity of various programming languages.

JavaScript remains in top place...

28 July 2020 | Java

IEEE Spectrum: Python is the top programming language of 2020

The latest IEEE Spectrum shows Python retaining its lead to be the top programming language of 2020.

First created 30 years ago in 1990, Python's popularity has surged in recent years thanks to it being ideally suited for artificial intelligence and web development. Many schools also teach Python because it's considered a relatively easy language for beginners.

IEEE's rankings are interactive to take into account the unique needs and interests of each programmer. On...

27 July 2020 | Languages