Python is the programming language of the year for 2018

Python has been declared the most popular programming language of 2018 based on the percentage change in the rankings in the TIOBE index. The open source programming language has secured third position in TIOBE’s search engine based ranking index in the January 2019 report, behind Java and C.

The language has gained 3.62% points year over the year in TIOBE January 2019 Index. Python’s popularity has significantly increased in the last few years. The language created by a Dutch programmer in 1989 entered TIOBE’s top three list in September 2018.

The main programming languages including C, C++, and Java have consistently maintained their leading positions on the TIOBE index. The popularity of Python comes as no surprise. The language is widely adopted in universities, it is essential for AI and machine learning. Most companies have started using it for scripting or writing system tests. The easy to grasp syntax in Python, availability of online resources and third-party libraries are factors adding to the popularity of Python.

Developers with projects built in Python 2 need to move their projects to Python 3. The support for Python 2 will end in January 2020. Python will continue to hold its strong position in TIOBE index in coming years.

Other major changes in the TIOBE Index

TIOBE index is among the popular metrics to gauge which programming language to use. The popularity rankings help developers to assess which language is worth investing their time in. Some languages have had a very good year on the TIOBE index. MATLAB has jumped from 18th place to 11th place. Kotlin, the official programming language for Android has secured 31st place in the index.

Other big changes include Rust, which moved from 46th place to 33rd rank. MIT-created programming language Julia is up from 47th place to 37th. TypeScript, Microsoft-backed language rose from 167th place to 49th position. Top 10 programming languages in January 2019 list are Java, C, Python, C++, Visual Basic .NET, JavaScript, C#, PHP, SQL, and Objective-C.

Source: techgig.com