Python vs Javascript: Which will be more Popular in the next years #
JavaScript and Python are two influential programming languages for building a wide range of applications.
While JavaScript has been the dominant programming language for many years. But now Python is dishing out some stiff competition. Python has been steadily increasing in popularity so much so that it is now the fastest-growing programming language.
So, with in the next years, could Python’s popularity outperform that of JavaScript?
To understand the above question correctly, it is important to know more about JavaScript and Python as well as the reasons for their popularity.
Why is JavaScript so popular?
Initially released in 1995, JavaScript is a high-level, interpreted programming language that is most popular as a scripting language for Web pages. This means that if a web page is not just sitting there and displaying static information, then JavaScript is probably behind that. And that’s not all, there are even advanced versions of the language such as Node.js which is used for server-side scripting.
JavaScript is an extremely popular language. And if my word doesn’t convince you, here are the facts!!!
In fact, it is estimated that about 94.9% of all websites use JavaScript.
In addition to that, the most commonly used Web Frameworks are jQuery, Angular.js and React.js (All of which incidentally use JavaScript)
So now the question arises…Why is JavaScript so popular?
Here are three main reasons which make JavaScript popular:
1. JavaScript can be used both on the client-side and server-side. Therefore, developers have found it easy to use the language and side-step other server-side languages like PHP.
2. JavaScript is a cross-platform programming language. For example, by using the Facebook-supported React Native JavaScript library, you can build applications to be deployed both on desktop and mobile platforms.
3. There is a large community of JavaScript enthusiasts who back the continued use of the language. Without people who are actively using the language and supporting its continued adoption, the dynamic language could have not sailed to its current glory.
According to the Stack Overflow’s 2018 Developer Survey Results, JavaScript is the most common programming language.
Furthermore, GitHub also reported that JavaScript is still the champion of programming languages.
According to a study done towards the end of 2018, the code-sharing website mentioned that most developers prefer using JavaScript for their repositories.
While 69.8% of the surveyed users asserted their love for JavaScript, only 38.8% declared their solid relationship with Python.
Interestingly, Python was the second-most used language on the platform — indicating its attempts to dethrone JavaScript in the near future.
Python’s rising popularity
Initially released in 1991 (so, it’s older than JavaScript), Python is an interpreted, general-purpose programming language that has multiple uses ranging from web applications to data analysis. This means that Python can be seen in complex websites such as YouTube or Instagram, in cloud computing projects such as OpenStack, in Machine Learning, etc. (basically everywhere!)
This is further demonstrated by this Google Trends chart showing the growth of Python as compared to JavaScript over the last 5 years:
As shown in the above data, Python recorded increased search interest as compared to JavaScript for the first time around November 2017 and it has maintained its lead ever since. This shows remarkable growth in Python as compared to 5 years ago.
In fact, Stack Overflow created a model to forecast its future traffic based on a model called STL and guess what…the prediction is that Python could potentially stay in the lead against JavaScript till 2020 at the least.
All these trends indicate that Python is extremely popular and getting even more popular with time.
Here are three main reasons contributing to Python’s incredible increased usage:
1. Python is receiving a lot of accolades because of its uncomplicated and easy to use syntax. The language emphasizes on code readability and simplicity, something which has made it a preferred choice for many first-time developers.
2. Python’s reliability and efficiency have won the love of many artificial intelligence experts. Therefore, with the current rise in the use of machine learning and data science applications, Python has become the preferred choice for professionals in the fields. What’s more, there are several Python libraries, which simplify completing various scientific tasks.
3. Just like JavaScript, Python also has an active community that supports the growth of the language. Python has been around for several years; therefore, there are plenty of guides and publications that allow users to easily find support — whether they are beginners or experienced.
Additionally, Stack Overflow compared year-over year-growth rate in traffic of the major programming languages between 2016 and 2017.
Here is the result of the analysis:
As shown on the screenshot above on the latest programming language trends, Python realized a high year-over year-growth rate of 27%, which indicates its fast growth.
Surprisingly, JavaScript realized very minimal growth in traffic within the two years.
So What’s the Conclusion?
While JavaScript has been referred to as the “Lingua Franca” of the Internet for many years, Python could outstrip it of this title — based on the data that shows Python’s incredible growth.
So it is entirely possible that Python could be the most popular programming language by 2020 and next years. Nonetheless, time will tell whether Python deserves that title.
However, this will merely impact the relative popularity of these two languages and not specify which among them is the better language. That choice is entirely subjective and may depend on multiple factors such as project requirements, scalability, ease of learning as well as the future growth prospects.
Importantly, these changing trends in software development point to the most appropriate programming languages to learn as you prepare for the future.
Please provide your thoughts in the comment section below.
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#python #javascript #node-js #devops #web-development
