Language Popularity

According to the TIOBE index, the C programming language is back at number one for popularity. This comes as no big surprise as the language has thrived for decades due to it's simplicity. Also, according to the index, Python and Javascript are down. This seems strange since these two languages are huge in the web application space.

Three Languages For Learning How To Develop Software

In an interesting discussion, the question of which programming language is best suited for teaching computer science students is raised. It is an interesting question because it seems that there isn't any real consensus among schools as to what the standard language should be. This brings up another question; should there be a standard language that should be taught to computer science students? Or should a more adaptive approach be taken and teach a language geared more toward some specialization?

I think the introductory-level courses need at least some level of language standardization amongst schools. Later on in the computer science program, if there is a specialization the student is interested in, the language best suited for that purpose should be taught. However, there are countless specializations a computer science graduate could strive to be an expert in. I don't think it is possible to realize them all, but the schools that teach these computer science programs should at least open a few broad categories of computer science specializations rather than just a single end point.

During the introductory courses of a computer science program, the concepts take the top priority. I think three languages could serve as a powerful tool in teaching these concepts. First, the C programming language. C allows for a good introduction to low-level programming concepts. It is also a good example of language design and is still heavily used in the industry. Second, the C++ programming language. C++ is a natural progression from C in order to introduce object-oriented concepts. Still heavily used in industry and still low-level. Lastly, the Python programming language. Python gives a good introduction to high-level languages. Not as heavily used in industry but is always gaining popularity. Python and C are highly interoperable.

C remains popular while Python is still low-key.

An interesting entry cites the C programming language as the most popular choice for new open source projects. There are also some other languages that followed C as popular choices. Python wasn't one of them.

So what does this mean? Absolutely nothing. It means that there are several existing and successful Python projects out there. Although I'm not a huge fan of some of the other languages mentioned, as a Python developer, I do like C. Python and C interoperability at the system level isn't too difficult to achieve.

Of course, this isn't a requirement. Ideally, if some new killer open source application written in C is made available, you can make bindings between it and your Python application.