Among the top 5 popular programming languages, JavaScript and HTML/CSS are the most widely used and popular with software developers around the world according to a Statista survey. 67.7% of respondents stated that they used JavaScript, 63.1% used HTML/CSS, and 54.7% used SQL. Python (44%), and Java (40%) rounded out the top five most popular coding languages around the world.
Here is a little information about each of the popular programming languages:
JavaScript
JavaScript (abbreviated as JS) is a lightweight, interpreted programming language with object-oriented capabilities and first-class functions. It is a dynamic prototype-based, multi-paradigm scripting language that supports imperative, functional, and object-oriented programming styles. JavaScript was created by Brendan Eich in 1995 for Netscape Navigator and it first became known as LiveScript. Later the name was changed to JavaScript to reflect Netscape’s support of Java within its browser. JavaScript is a flexible and powerful scripting language that enables you to create dynamically updating content, and control web page behavior. JavaScript can be used both in the front-end and back-end of web development. It’s flexibility is just one reason it is a popular programing language. The major companies that use JavaScript are eBay, Facebook, General Assembly, Google, Groupon, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Netflix, PayPal, Uber, and Walmart.
HTML/CSS
When it comes to popular programming languages, HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) is the standard markup language for documents designed to be displayed in a web browser. It can be assisted by CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) technology and JavaScript scripting language. HTM was designed by the British scientist Sir Tim Berners-Lee at the CERN nuclear physics laboratory in Switzerland in the 1980s. HTML is used to structure and give meaning to the web content, for example, define paragraphs, headings, and data tables, or embed images and videos on the page. The browser interprets the tags, displaying the headings, paragraphs, and tables in a layout that is adapted to the screen size and fonts available.
CSS is used to apply styling to HTML content, for instance, setting background colors and fonts and laying out the content in multiple columns. Global companies using HTML include Adobe, Amazon, Calm, Coursera, Dropbox, eBay, Facebook, Fitbit, Google, Grammarly, Intel, Jacobs, PepsiCo, Pfizer, Twitter, and many others.
SQL
In our list of top 5 popular programming languages, SQL (Structured Query Language) is a language for specifying the organization of databases (collections of records). Databases organized with SQL are called relational because SQL provides the ability to query a database for information that falls in a given relation. Some large software companies, such as Microsoft Corporation and Oracle Corporation, produced their versions of SQL, and an open-source version, MySQL, became extremely popular. SQL works by providing a way for programmers and other computer users to get desired information from a database using something resembling ordinary English. On the simplest level, SQL consists of only a few commands: select, which grabs data; insert, which adds data to a database; update, which changes the information; and delete, which deletes the information. Other commands exist to create, modify, and administer databases. Some of the major companies that use SQL are Accenture, Cognizant, Dell, Microsoft, NTT Data, and Stack Overflow. Microsoft is one of the largest companies out there to employ SQL. Microsoft uses it in ActiveX Data Objects, Open Database Connectivity, and SQL Server.
Python
Python is an open-source language developed by the Dutch programmer Guido van Rossum in 1991. It was designed as an easy-to-use language, with such features as using indentation instead of brackets to group statements. Python is also a very compact language, designed so that complex jobs can be executed with only a few statements. In the 2010s, Python became one of the most popular programming languages, along with Java and JavaScript. The language can be used for web development, testing, web scraping, data analysis, computer graphics, mobile app development, artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data, and the internet of things.
Many big companies use (or have used) Python for their products/services. Some of these are Amazon, Disqus, Dropbox, Expedia, Facebook, Google, Hike, IBM, MIT, Mozilla, NASA, Netflix, Nokia, Pinterest, Quora, Reddit, Shutterstock, Spotify, Uber, Udemy, Walt Disney Feature Animation, Yahoo! Maps, and Youtube. It is no wonder it is in our list of top 5 programming languages.
Java
Java was designed by Sun Microsystems, Inc., in the early 1990s as a programming language for the World Wide Web. Although it resembled C++ in appearance, it was object-oriented. Particularly, Java dispensed with lower-level features, including the ability to manipulate data addresses, a capability that is neither desirable nor useful in programs for distributed systems. To be portable, Java programs are translated by a Java Virtual Machine specific to each computer platform, which then executes the Java program. In addition to adding interactive capabilities to the Internet through web “applets,” Java has been widely used for programming small and portable devices, such as mobile phones. Java has the best collection of frameworks even today in comparison to Python. This fast-performing, object-oriented programming language is used by many global companies, such as Airbnb, Amazon, Goldman Sachs, eBay, Google, Instagram, Netflix, Pinterest, Spotify, Uber, and many others.
Popular Programming Languages – Conclusion
What popular programming languages do you use? Do you agree with our selections? Let us know in the comments section.
