Top 10 Most Popular Programming Languages in Demand

Being a programmer is one of the most rewarding careers in the field of Information Technology. Software Engineers must have knowledge and skills in programming for them to have a grip on producing reliable software products that will stand the test of time. Every software product has a life span and no matter how well designed the software can be, every software is bound to become obsolete one day.

The life span of a software product depends on many factors such as popularity, functionality, usability, reusability etc. The programming language that has been used to develop a software product is an important factor in determining how popular and worthy the software product will be to the eyes of the software user or vendor.

Programmers wishing to develop life long careers in the field of programming should dwell on programming languages that are popular in the market.

Your favorite language as a programmer may not be the favorite language to the clients, so programmers should not produce software products that they want but rather what software market demands.

If you are a programmer wishing to develop a rewarding career in programming that will give you an edge in software development, here are 10 most popular programming languages to start with.

Java is one of the most popular programming languages and the best preferred by programmers and clients. This language has been on top of the TIOBE Programming Community Index. TIOBE is an indicator of popularity of programming languages based on skilled software engineers and vendors world-wide.

One aspect of Java that makes it popular is its Java Virtual Machine (JVM) that makes software developed in Java run on any other operating system. Besides, Java has very rich re-usable libraries and components that you will not find in other programming languages.

Java, which is an Object Oriented Language, is the adopted language in the development of Android Operating System that has become common in Cell phones, that means there will be a growing demand for Java developers for many years to come. Nearly every College and University includes Java in their course units especially in Computer Science. Although Java is a relatively slow running language, its WORA (Write Once Run Anywhere) capability makes it to be very popular among programmers.

C programming language is a procedural language that is extremely fast compared to Java. What makes C to be fast is its need to be compiled to run on specific environments other than where the program was initially developed.

Although C was developed to run on Unix Operating system, it has been used in other operating systems but with minor complexities in memory allocation and mastering.

Overall, C is the preferred language when it comes to fast applications and the fact that it can be embedded in other systems to add functionalities.

It has been used widely in production of device drivers, system software and business applications. C is ranked first on the TIOBE Programming Community Index of 2013.

C++ pronounced as (C plus plus) is a language that was developed by Bjarne Stroustrup to support C programming language on backward-compatibility issues.

It was initial aimed to be an update for C language but later became popular and today C++ has been used to develop most business applications, system software, High performance servers, simulations and games.

C++ has the same speed factor as in C language although one challenge is that many programmers may regard it as an old language. C++ is ranked third on the TIOBE Programming Community Index of 2013.

C# Pronounced as C Sharp, is a multi-paradigm programming language encompassing imperative, functional, generic, object-oriented and component-oriented programming disciplines.

C# was developed by Microsoft as its flagship in .Net framework and most of the applications developed in C# will run comfortably in Windows based systems.

A programmer who has developed his skills in Java will adopt C# with ease as it has almost similar syntax as Java. The good side of C# is that it is a language that produces fast and powerful applications compared to Java but most of these applications run better on Windows based systems. Most of Windows 7 phones are developed using C# which is currently ranked fifth on the TIOBE Programming Community Index of 2013.

Objective-C is the ultimate programming language for producing intense high-pressure software products. It is an Object Oriented language that was developed from the concepts in Smalltalk and C programming languages and influenced the development of Java language.

If you want to be a programmer in your own class then I suggest you get skills on this language as the market for Objective-C programmers is not flooded. Clients are still looking for developers in Objective-C and the applications demand is on increase.

Popular gadgets that use Apple's Mac OS X and iOS such as Apple’s iPhone, iPod and iPad need developers so there is a wider market to choose from. Objective-C is ranked fourth on the TIOBE Programming Community Index of 2013.

Visual Basic is the language of choice for beginners’ programmers mostly because of its ease in application. Programmers can create customized Graphical User Interface (GUI) applications by just way of dropping controls and components into a visual container with additional codes to add functionality.

Developed by Microsoft as direct descendant of the old BASIC language and currently ranked seventh on the TIOBE Programming Community Index of 2013, the major disadvantage of Visual Basic is that its products are Windows based and therefore do not have much demand on the software market. Beside, programmers in Visual Basic are many with low demand and one must be very good in Visual Basic including the other versions such as Visual Basic.Net to have a grip of the market.

PHP is a scripting language that was originally developed by Ramus Lerdorf to add interactivity to dynamic Web pages. PHP is the preferred language in Web applications with its most strength being ease of application with good documentation.

Most applications are turning out to be Web based and the demand for Web based programmers is increasing, beside PHP has variation in syntax and conventions of programming and particular clients may be looking for particular programmers who are versed with specific PHP syntax. PHP is currently ranked sixth on the TIOBE Programming Community Index of 2013.

If your aim is to become a programmer in text processing and system administration scripting, then look no further than having hands on skills in Perl. Perl is an old language but still very popular mostly because programmers in Perl are few.

Perl has the most complicated commands and syntax and if you are going to use it to develop applications you will be assured of the added business in maintenance of applications written in Perl. Perl is currently ranked ninth on the TIOBE Programming Community Index of 2013.

One of the popular programming languages in cloud computing is Python. Python is a general purpose language with usage in multiple industries and has been used in Web and Cloud applications on different frameworks.

Python is characterized by its use of indentation for readability with elegant codes and has been used in Google cloud and Ubuntu operating system. Python is currently ranked eighth on the TIOBE Programming Community Index of 2013.

When the Japanese creator Yukihiro Matsumoto developed Ruby in 1995 from a blend of other languages such as Perl and Smalltalk, he never thought Ruby will eventually become the most Object Oriented Programming language. Everything in Ruby is an object but perhaps the downside of Ruby is that it is a slow language.

Ruby is a business oriented language and programmers in Ruby are always in demand. Ruby has been used in development of applications such as Web and Cloud applications, simulations, 3D modeling and Robotics. Ruby is currently ranked tenth on the TIOBE Programming Community Index of 2013.

Other popular programming languages includes JavaScripts, Delphi, Lisp and Visual Basic.Net