Date Posted: 6/4/2016 8:44:20 AM
Posted By: SimonMburu Membership Level: Silver Total Points: 838
The world of Technology is advancing at a very rapid rate. Since the invention of the Integrated Circuit (IC) in the 1970’s, computers have advanced in terms of hardware and software and most computer critics will argue that powerful hardware is readily available but we lack prowess creative programmers to write programs that will explore the full potential of these hardware devices. Computer programming languages have also not been left out with the advancement since the first computer program was written by a lady known as Ada Lovelace in the 19th century. The pace at which hardware is advancing is a few steps ahead of software advancement and it is for this reason why Computer Scientists and Engineers work around the clock to ensure software catches up as fast as possible. Now that we live in the era of High Level programming languages, any computer scientist or programmer should be aware that as time go some of these languages become obsolete while others add some advancement. When I started my career in Computer Science back then in 2010 just a few years ago, Pascal Programming Language was obsolete but it was used in colleges to introduce students to computer programming, nowadays you won’t find this language being taught anywhere despite the release of its newer version . With those six years of experience I have done my research and gathered the 10 most valuable programming languages that will advance into the future as far as computer programming is concerned. So you as a computer programmer you should have prowess knowledge in one or two of these languages if you intend to move forward with the industry or if you wish to sharpen your arsenal of programming languages. I will start from the bottom, meaning the language at the bottom is on the verge of being faced out as you move towards the top.10. C Programming Language- This is the Godfather of High Level Programming Languages. When High Level Programming started C was the order of the day as it offered structural programming features and is still a very strong language and I would recommend it to anyone who aspires to become a true hardcore hacker. C is still involved in so many things although it is quite low level when compared to other High Level Programming languages and you typically won’t land so many jobs in the web and mobile applications industry. What C can do other more advanced High Level Programming languages can do with less effort. Even though it sounds like C is already obsolete it’s good to add it to your tool box of programming languages.9. Go Programming Language also known as Golang- This language was developed by Ken Thompson among other Computer Scientists for Google Inc. and it first appeared on the commercial scene on November 10 of 2009. You might be wondering why it appeared just less than a decade ago and it is number 9 on the list. Well, Go unlike other High Level Languages is very low level verbose language and it is mostly used for server-side technology and systems level development. Go is incorporated by Google throughout their entire stack from YouTube to old C++ libraries that they used to use. I’ve placed it ahead of C because if you wish to go low level or system level you won’t have to deal with garbage collection. Go is also Open Source and you won’t need to have an affiliation with Google to use Go for systems development.8. PHP- This language was built specifically for the web but if you are a guru you can use it for other purposes. The most funny thing about PHP is that it was invented by a guy who didn’t like to code and that’s the reason why most computer geeks who are “mathematics oriented” find it hectic as its syntax is quite different from other languages like Python and Java. Even though PHP gets a lot of negative publicity, many websites and web based applications utilize the language. Since I started developing mobile applications for Android, PHP has been the server side language that I have mastered and use even though I have to add some security features to keep the database secure. PHP is so easy to learn and any naive programmer can put up a website with little effort. Apache Servers run PHP and they are used all over the world so you won’t have to worry about landing a job if you are a pro in this language. The language has also advanced over the years with the current version supporting Object Oriented Programming.7. Ruby, famously known as Ruby On Rails- The reason Ruby is number 7 and so famous is because of its web based framework (Ruby On Rails) which was originally where Twitter was set up under. Ruby paved the way for most modern web frameworks like asp.net and Jango. If you are looking to land a job in the web development industry Ruby is one of the languages that you should add to your arsenal. Although it can be used for other applications, it’s tailored for web based applications and you will rarely find other GUI (Graphical User Interface) applications written in Ruby.6. Swift Programming Language-This is a Multi-paradigm programming language developed by Chris Lattner and Apple Inc. Swift appeared on the commercial scene on June 2nd of 2014. The Stable release appeared on May 3rd of 2016 and the language is designed to work with Apple’s Cocoa and Cocoa Touch Frameworks. Swift is intended to be more resilient to erroneous code than Object-C giving programmers a cool atmosphere while dealing with debugging nightmares. Swift will definitely advance into the future since it works everything for iOS, Mac, iPod and other Apple Inc. products. If you are developing software for Apple Inc. products I have news for you, Object-C is being faced out by Swift and I believe this is the most appropriate time to accommodate the change as the Stable release for Swift is just 1 month old. 5. C Sharp (C#) Programming Language- When you see C# Microsoft Corporation and Bill Gates should come to your mind right away. This is the father of Microsoft’s proprietary systems from forms, web sites, to the Windows phone. With Microsoft being the most profitable software company on Earth at the time of this article means C# is not going anywhere and will continue to exist as long as we run .NET framework and the Windows Operating Systems. If you’re looking forward to be an all-rounded computer programmer consider adding C# to your tool box since Windows and other Microsoft products will continue to emerge in the technology market. C# first appeared in the commercial scene in the year 2000 and the latest Stable release (version 6.0) appeared on July 20 of 2015.4. C++ Programming Language- This is a Multi-paradigm, functional, object-oriented, generic programming language created by Bjarne Stroustrup. C++ first appeared on the commercial scene in 1983, about 33 years ago with the latest Stable release appearing on 15th December of 2014. This is the only language with 10 file extensions having .cpp and .c as being widely used all over the world. C++ is one of the languages that support Object-Oriented Programming and is quite flexible in terms of efficiency and performance. Currently C++ is looking forward to standardize everything so as to make it easier to learn for new programmers or programmers who have a background in other Object-Oriented Programming languages like Java. The language is currently standardized by ISO (International Organization for Standards) with the latest standard version ratified and published by ISO in December 2014. C++ is also the language that has influenced other languages like Java and C# and it is therefore worth learning it and adding it to your assets as it support a whole array of software artifacts like desktop applications, servers, video-game engines and performance-critical applications example telephone switches.3. Python Programming Language- The most taught programming language in technology colleges and universities all over the world. Python was designed by Guido van Rossum and was first released on 20th February of 1991 and the latest Stable release version appearing on 7th December 2015. Python is also multi-paradigm, object-oriented and is cross-platform. The reason why Python is number 3 on this list is because it allows programmers to express concepts in fewer lines of code than possible in other languages such as C++ and Java. The language provides constructs intended to enable clear programs on both small and large scale. These are advantages that will definitely advance into the future as another trend, that allows ordinary computer users to write small usable programs with very little effort, emerges into the realm of computer programming. Interpreters for Python are also available for many operating systems and you as a programmer should learn this language as its usage increases day by day and it’s another reason why it will not become obsolete any time soon.2. JavaScript- It seems like a boring number two for this list but JavaScript is by far the most important language for web based applications which are not going anywhere in the future. JavaScript can be used in conjunction with any back-end Server-side technology you can possibly imagine whether it is PHP, Python, Ruby and so forth. This language is also emerging as a full Server-side technology not just a Web Browser language and we are quickly moving into an almost all-JavaScript User Interface and that’s probably what is going to happen in the near future. JavaScript has popular libraries like the JQuery and popular modern frameworks like the Angular, Backbone and so on. If you want to get into web development it’s the most valuable language that you should learn and will definitely land your resume thumbs up if you are seeking employment in the web development industry.1. Java Programming Language-If you are in need of a language that says, “Write once, run anywhere” then Java is all you need. Java is a general purpose object oriented programming language designed by James Gosling for Sun Microsystems in 1995. Unlike most computer programming languages, Java does not need recompilation to run on a different machine since it does not work with compilers. Java applications are typically compiled into bytecode that can run on any Java Virtual Machine regardless of the underlying computer architecture. When I started developing Java applications I was actually amazed by the simplicity of the language since I had a background of C++. Java is also very rich in built-in class libraries that serve any purpose you can possibly imagine. If I hadn’t met Java, I would not have been a pro in developing Android applications since Android is 95% pure Java. The language is also good for developing desktop applications for any operating system, mobile applications, embedded software applications and also web application. Java is like air to me; it is everywhere and has tons of jobs all over the world, wherever you are you cannot turn your head without meeting a device that runs on Java code, be it a DVD player, washing machine and so on. If you want to be a true all-rounded computer programmer for the future and you are lazy to learn so many languages then be a Java master.
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