What is common to java c-sharp visual basic and objective-c

the world of computer programming, developers have a plethora of choices when the moment comes to choosing a new language to study.

Each language has its advantages and drawbacks but also its fierce supporters and opponents. Some developers are even so fiercely attached to their favorite programming language, which they come to huddle together within what I will call castes.

The developers of these different groups will each have a very strong preconceived idea about the developers of another group.

You would be surprised to learn what Java developers think about PHP developers. The reciprocal being of course true. Likewise, C and C++ developers have an unfortunate tendency to take high ground against developers of other languages.

And what about the JavaScript developers whose language is constantly mocked when it is one of the languages that really does it all.

The incessant bickering within the developer community gave me the idea to write a story where I will define the 20 most popular programming languages with a single word or a single phrase, and then explain why.

The goal of the game is then for other developers to use the comments to share their vision with me and for us to see how each one sees the other’s favorite language.

As a pre-requisite, I will ask you to specify your preferred language. In my case, it is the Java programming language.

In order to choose the 20 most popular programming languages, I based myself on the TIOBE index of January 2020:

This gives us the following ranking:

1. Java
2. C
3. Python
4. C++
5. C#
6. Visual Basic .NET
7. JavaScript
8. PHP
9. Swift
10. SQL
11. Ruby
12. Delphi / Object Pascal
13. Objective-C
14. Go
15. Assembly language
16. Visual Basic
17. D
18. R
19. Perl
20. MATLAB

I know some people don’t particularly like the TIOBE index.

Nevertheless, even though the positions in the top languages may change from one site to another, the top 20 languages remain more or less the same.

Keeping in mind that the Java programming language is my preferred language, here is my listing:

Java: Versatile

Java is a programming language but also much more than that since today Java is a complete platform on which many programming languages, such as Scala, Kotlin, or Groovy, are based.

Java makes it possible to do everything.

You can develop on mobile thanks to Android but also make desktop applications. You can also make web applications or embedded applications.

Finally, Java is used more and more in data science too. In short, Java is not the best everywhere, but it is the language that opens the most doors for you as a developer.

C: Fast

C is behind many of the programming languages in this Top 20. C is a simple, powerful, and timeless imperative language.

C is still widely used in the industry because most developers have been trained with C as their first language.

C programs are fast. Although it is possible to do an object oriented programming equivalent in C, it is not very intuitive and this remains one of the main shortcomings of the language.

Finally, it must be said that writing programs in C requires a lot of rigor since you have to manage the memory within your programs yourself. In fact, C is not to be put in all hands.

Python: Practical

Python is a programming language that has gained enormous popularity during the 2010s. It must be said that Python is very pleasant to use for a developer.

You can develop imperatively or object oriented with Python. In addition, Python supports a number of features from functional programming.

Finally, Python allows you to do a lot of things the way Java does. In fact, it is very much appreciated in academic circles and in Data Science. A limitation however: it is difficult to make mobile applications in Python.

C++: Misunderstood

Created to be an object-oriented version of C, the C++ programming language is very powerful and continues to evolve.

Unfortunately, C++ is often misunderstood by developers who prefer to move towards Java or C#.

I’ve done a lot of programming in C++ during my career as a computer developer and I must say that it’s always a pleasure for me to switch from Java to C++.

If you hesitate to use C++ thinking that it is an aging language, you should make the effort and you will be pleasantly surprised to see what C++ is in 2020.

C#: Java by Microsoft

At first, Microsoft had decided to make its own version of Java, which it called J++. Optimized for Microsoft platforms, J++ programs could only run on the Microsoft Java Virtual Machine (MSJVM).

After a lost lawsuit with Sun in 1998, Microsoft finally decided to move towards the creation of its own programming language so that it would no longer be limited by Sun.

C# was born under these conditions and it has greatly evolved since then. When I think of C#, I always think of Java by Microsoft personally.

Nevertheless, I must admit that C# has evolved faster than Java on many points and that its syntax is more modern period, although Java has started to move in the right direction again these last few years.

Visual Basic .NET: Microsoft

Visual Basic was created by Microsoft to facilitate development under Microsoft OS with a complete integrated development environment. Visual Basic has been very successful.

With the release of C# and the .NET framework, Microsoft has logically chosen to offer a .NET version of Visual Basic.

Visual Basic .NET is still a great success and when I hear Visual Basic I immediately think of Microsoft.

JavaScript: Esperanto

People who are not in the world of computer programming often make the mistake of confusing Java and JavaScript. Although both languages start with Java, they have nothing to do with each other.

JavaScript is a scripting programming language mainly used on the Web but can now be used on the server-side with the use of Node.js for example.

JavaScript is a prototype oriented programming language in which functions are first-class objects.

Many frameworks have been created since the advent of smartphones to allow the creation of mobile applications in JavaScript programming language.

JavaScript is now everywhere, and I consider it a kind of Esperanto that every developer must master.

PHP: Web

PHP was launched in 1995 and has greatly contributed to the development of the Internet by facilitating the creation of dynamic web pages.

PHP resonates with Web in the minds of most developers.

Since its creation, the PHP language has evolved and now offers support for object-oriented programming in addition to the traditional imperative programming.

Swift: Overrated

After hearing many developers complain that programming macOS or iOS applications were too complicated with the Objective-C language, Apple decided to launch Swift in 2014.

Many people immediately got hooked with Swift that is a scripting language less demanding than Objective-C.

Nevertheless, I prefer Objective-C and I personally find that Swift remains overrated. I can’t really explain why I feel this way. I guess my preference for Objective-C skews my judgment.

SQL: Database

Database and SQL are two inseparable words in my head and probably in the head of 99% of developers in my opinion.

Ruby: Slow

I’m not going to make friends in the Ruby developer community, but too bad, I’m taking my stand.

I’ve never really hooked up with it and slow is the first word that comes to mind when I think of Ruby.

I’ve always preferred to use Python or Perl when I was faced with problems for which Ruby could have been a solution.

Delphi / Object Pascal: Underestimated

Pascal is a programming language that was created at the same time as the C programming language. It enjoyed some success before finally running out of steam in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Delphi was the proprietary IDE developed by Borland that facilitated development in Object Pascal, the object evolution of Pascal.

The few times I developed in Delphi, I liked the experience and I still think that Delphi is underestimated as evolutions continue to be published.

Objective-C: iOS

I discovered Objective-C while programming mobile applications for iPhones.

For me, Objective-C resonates with iOS and iPhone.

I appreciate the features of Objective-C and the advantages of this language, but I understand that some people find it hard to catch on.

Go: Game

I became interested in Go out of curiosity, but I never had to actually use it. I read that Go aims to facilitate system programming, especially by becoming an alternative to C.

I don’t know to what extent this kind of objective is realistic, but at my level, when I hear Go, I rather think of the strategy game of Chinese origin.

Sorry to Go aficionados. I don’t feel like Go succeeded in his objective.

Assembly language: Low level

When I think of assembly language, I obviously think of low-level programming. I’ve never had to use assembly language in a professional environment.

I used assembly language at university in dedicated courses.

So assembly language also brings back funny memories of my university years.

Visual Basic: Old School

When you started programming on Windows as a teenager in the late 90s and wanted to create GUI without having to worry about it, Visual Basic was the solution to choose.

I developed a lot of programs in Visual Basic at that time and I have great memories of it.

In these conditions, it is logical that Visual Basic reminds me of Old School.

D: Underrated

I discovered the D programming language from its first version in early 2002. I still remember reading articles from its creator explaining that D was the perfect evolution of C and that it was inspired by C++ and Java drawbacks.

I won’t go that far but I always found that D was underestimated by many people.

Its lack of success can be explained by the fact that it does not differ enough from C++ or Java.

The fact that it hasn’t had strong support in the industry may also explain why its use hasn’t taken off.

R: Data Science

I don’t even know if I need to clarify my thinking when I say that R reminds me of Data Science.

R is open source and distributed in the GNU package list.

R is widely used by statisticians, data miners, and data scientists.

Perl: Strings

Perl was created to easily process text-based information. Whenever I had to use Perl in my career, it was to manipulate strings quickly and easily.

Perl’s syntax shortcuts make it possible to be extremely productive in this area.

Perl also reminds me of regular expressions.

MATLAB: Mathematics

MATLAB is a scripting language for the development environment of the same name. MATLAB is used for numerical computation, and when I hear MATLAB, I obviously think of mathematics.

Now that I’ve just told you what each of the 20 major programming languages inspires me in one word or one phrase, I expect you to play the game and share your vision with me.

The more answers we get, the more interesting it will be to observe the differences in thinking between developers following their preferred language.

It’s up to you now.