Nearly all organizations depend on application development in one way or another, either for creating solutions that improve internal processes or to craft the products their customers expect from them. Programming languages represent the foundation of these apps – the code in which an app is written factors significantly into its ultimate operation (and its vulnerability to cyberattacks).
For much of the past three decades, JavaScript and the open-source Java have been nearly ubiquitous in app development, but considerable evidence exists to suggest that these codes may not maintain their duopoly in the foreseeable future. Developers closely monitor (and, through their decisions, set) these trends. But it's critical for CIOs and CTOs to also take note of which programming languages are rising or falling in popularity, and, if necessary, adjust their app development processes accordingly. Additionally, C-level staff may need to factor code expertise into their hiring – an area where advice from YES Partners can be a big help.
The steady rise of Python
Though it debuted in 1991, before the 1995 releases of both JavaScript and Java, Python stayed behind those languages over the last 30 years (while still remaining in common use; it's a fundamental part of Google's search engine architecture). But throughout the late 2010s, it surged as it begun finding its way into cutting-edge artificial intelligence and data science development projects, among many other areas.
Software industry analysis firm RedMonk's latest code popularity rankings, released July 27, 2020, confirmed Python's continued rise: The open-source language not only held its runner-up spot (behind JavaScript) but also took sole possession of second place, which it shared with Java in the last RedMonk poll from earlier this year.
Analyst Stephen O'Grady of RedMonk credited Python's versatility for its success, explaining that it had become "a language of first resort." The code also took first place on the IEEE Spectrum 2020 language rankings, a placement it retained from the previous year.
Emergence of other codes
Organizations don't just have to consider adding Python to the repertoire of codes they use for app and software development, though it's certainly a good start. It'll also be prudent to look at other codes that have recently been on the rise. Newer languages like Rust and Go are becoming more popular due to their memory-safe nature, as ZDnet noted, while Microsoft's JavaScript variant TypeScript is gaining ground as a foundational tool for creating large-scale applications.
The burgeoning popularity of these languages seems to indicate a desire to move beyond the confines of Java and JavaScript, which, while virtually ubiquitous in development, are critiqued with some frequency – for security issues in Java's case and inflexibility in JavaScript's. CIOs and CTOs may need to supplement their teams with staff that use these newer codes, and Recruitment Consultants from YES Partners can help organizations find them. To see some of the roles that we have already successfully placed, click here.
Finding people is easy, but finding the RIGHT people is not. YES Partners helps companies FIND the right people for all company functions, across many industries.
