Old-School Tech’s Surprise Comeback: Why Veteran Programming Languages Are Still Hot
Hey everyone, John here! Welcome back to the blog where we break down the world of tech into bite-sized, easy-to-understand pieces. Today, we’re diving into something that sounds a bit like a popularity contest, but for the tools that build our digital world. With me, as always, is my wonderful assistant, Lila.
Lila: “Hi, John! So, a popularity contest for tech? Like, which phone is the coolest?”
Exactly! But instead of phones, we’re looking at programming languages. And a recent report from something called the Tiobe Index has a fascinating twist that’s got everyone talking. It turns out, some of the “old-school” languages are giving the newer ones a serious run for their money!
First Things First: What’s a Programming Language?
Lila: “Okay, hold on, John. Before we get into any rankings, can you remind us what a ‘programming language’ even is? I know we’ve talked about it, but a refresher would be great!”
Of course, Lila! That’s the perfect place to start. Think of a programming language as a special set of instructions or a recipe that you write for a computer. The computer can’t understand English or Japanese directly, so we use languages like Python, Java, or C++ to tell it what to do. Every app on your phone, every website you visit, and even the smart features in your car were all built using one of these languages.
The Popularity Chart: What is the Tiobe Index?
Now, how do we know which languages are the most popular? That’s where the Tiobe Index comes in. It’s one of the most-watched scoreboards in the tech world.
Lila: “So is it like a music chart that counts how many times a song is played? How does Tiobe figure out who’s number one?”
That’s a fantastic analogy! The Tiobe Index is a lot like the Billboard charts for tech. But instead of just counting streams, it looks at several factors to get a full picture. It measures things like:
- How many skilled engineers and programmers there are for each language around the world.
- How many training courses and classes are available for it.
- How many companies (they call them third-party vendors) create tools for that language.
They gather all this information from popular websites like Google, Wikipedia, Amazon, and more to put together their monthly rankings. It gives us a great idea of which languages have a strong, active community behind them.
The Usual Suspects: Today’s Top Languages
For the past couple of years, the top of the Tiobe chart has been pretty stable. The big names have held their ground firmly. Here’s a peek at the top of the list for this month:
- Python: Incredibly popular, known for being relatively easy to learn and used for everything from web development to AI.
- C++: A powerful language often used for high-performance applications like video games and complex software.
- C: One of the oldest and most influential languages, it’s the foundation for many other languages and operating systems.
- Java: A versatile language famous for its “write once, run anywhere” philosophy, used heavily in large corporate systems and Android apps.
- C#: Developed by Microsoft, it’s a major player in building applications for Windows and web services.
No big surprises here. These are the modern-day superstars of the programming world.
The Plot Twist: The Veterans Are Making a Stand!
Here’s where the story gets really interesting. While the top spots are locked down, the battle for the rest of the top 10 is heating up. And surprisingly, it’s not the trendy new languages like Rust, Kotlin, or Dart that are climbing the charts. It’s the veterans!
Languages that were created decades ago, like Visual Basic, Fortran, and Perl, are showing incredible staying power. But the one that Tiobe’s CEO, Paul Jansen, is betting on to outlast the others is a language called Ada, which first appeared way back in the late 1970s!
This month, Ada is sitting at number 10 in the index. That’s a huge deal for a language that’s over 40 years old!
Why Ada is a “Super Survivor”
So, why is this old-timer language still so relevant? The secret lies in what it was designed for: safety and security.
Lila: “The article says Ada is a great ‘survivor’ because it’s used in the ‘safety-critical domain.’ That sounds really intense. What does that actually mean?”
It is intense, and that’s precisely why Ada is so valuable! A “safety-critical domain” refers to any system where a software failure could have catastrophic consequences. We’re talking about the software that controls things like:
- An airplane’s flight control system
- A medical device like a heart pacemaker
- A nuclear power plant’s safety monitors
- A satellite orbiting the Earth
For these jobs, you need software that is as close to perfect as possible. You can’t have it crashing or making a mistake. Ada was built from the ground up to be extremely robust, reliable, and secure, with lots of built-in checks to prevent programmer errors. It’s like the difference between building a simple garden shed and building a 100-story skyscraper. For the shed, you can be a bit more casual. For the skyscraper, every single beam and bolt must be perfect and follow strict safety codes. Ada is the language you use to build that skyscraper.
A Different View: The PYPL Index
To get a well-rounded view, it’s always good to look at more than one source. There’s another popularity ranking called the PYPL PopularitY of Programming Language index.
Lila: “Another chart? Why are its rankings a little different from Tiobe’s?”
Great question! The PYPL index measures popularity in a simpler way: it analyzes how often people search for programming language tutorials on Google. The logic is that if a lot of people are trying to learn a language, it must be in high demand. It gives us a different but equally interesting look at what’s hot right now. For example, in the PYPL index, the newer language Rust actually makes it into the top 10, showing that lots of people are curious to learn it, even if it doesn’t have the huge established base that Tiobe measures.
My Two Cents (and Lila’s!)
John’s thoughts: For me, this is a fantastic reminder that in technology, ‘newest’ doesn’t always mean ‘best.’ These older languages like Ada have survived for decades because they are exceptionally good at the specific, crucial jobs they were designed for. In a world constantly chasing the next shiny object, there’s something deeply respectable about the proven, rugged reliability of a veteran.
Lila’s thoughts: I think it’s so cool! It’s like finding out that a classic car from the 70s has a more reliable engine than some brand-new models. It proves that great design and engineering can last a very long time, and that we shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss older technology.
So, while the new languages are exciting, the old guard is proving they’re not going anywhere. It’s a testament to building things that are meant to last. Thanks for reading, and see you next time!
This article is based on the following original source, summarized from the author’s perspective:
Ada, other older languages vie for top spots in Tiobe
language index