It’s one of the three main components of front-end web development, along with HTML and CSS. It also underpins a whole bunch of back-end frameworks too these days: Node.js, Angular.js and on it goes. Right now, it’s difficult to see it being a bad choice.
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Agreed 110%. Useful (if not outright essential) for web-dev, and similar enough to other major players that learning it can only help
Very well said, thank you for providing us the latest trends on the best programming language to learn in 2015.Looks great! Keep it up!
Thanks, I’m just starting out, so trying to learn more about it. I know its not that simple to learn but I have to start somewhere. 
Nice Article. I would suggest to start with JavaScript. since it’s cross browser compatibility and can be used for a lot of things.
I recently asked 4 university professors and 79 web developers the following question:
“If a novice developer asked you which programming language to learn, what would you say?”
This resulted in a top 10 best programming languages, but also, all experts elaborated their advices so you will actually learn a lot from them!
Read all advices here: https://psdtowp.net/best-programming-language.html
This was one of my issues when I decided I wanted to learn to code. Dear God, look at all the possibilities! Where does one begin.
I one I I wanted to learn web development, so I began Learning HTML and CSS. Some lessons didn’t really sink in until I created my first site just the way I wanted it. I learned a lot through tweaking and messing around to create the site. Its so powerful, to have something you want to do and to do it. Great article, finding a project and learning that way is a great way to start.
Javascript is in demand these days. With frameworks like Node, Angular Js, Backbone, it is used almost everywhere. It is probably top most in top 10 programming languages
Good article. And I agree: just build something. When I first embarked on web development 8 years ago, I chose Smalltalk and the Seaside web framework. A friend of mine told me it would be fun and enjoyable–and it was! I had a blast, and I learned a lot.
A few years ago, I heard how good web2py was, so I made my second foray into web development with Python/web2py. Again, I had a blast and I learned a lot. Web2py is now my favourite web framework.
I’ve written a lot of great web software over the past 8 years. Now, I’m making my third foray into web development, this time on the client side. I won’t use JavaScript because I find it to be a detestable language. However, I recognize that JavaScript is the lingua franca of the web, so there’s no escaping it. Rather than use JavaScript, I use Amber, a Smalltalk dialect designed specifically for web browser applications. It compiles into pure JavaScript, so it performs as well as JavaScript. And it interfaces with JavaScript libraries very easily, so you have access to a vast ecosystem. Just to prove all this, I wrote an Amber tutorial article.
So you’re right–language choice is not critical. I would advise not necessarily choosing what is most popular, but choosing what is most enjoyable. A language that is syntactically simple is easier to learn and easier to use on a daily basis. Less stress; smaller cognitive burden. In other words, fun and enjoyable!
(Along the same line, I would recommend Go. This language is also syntactically very simple. It is blazingly fast to compile and blazingly fast to execute. I also wrote a tutorial article for it.)
IMO, JavaScript and PHP are the two WORST programming languages in wide use today. That they occupy second and third spots on the list is truly very sad. JavaScript is problematic in so many ways. Despite ECMA’s best efforts, this language can never be fully fixed. Fortunately, there are many ways to “use” JavaScript without actually using JavaScript. I’ve personally chosen Amber, but you may also consider Dart or CoffeeScript or GWT. Why inflict this horrible language upon yourself???
But you go on to recommend languages that transpile to JavaScript… how is it a problem with the language itself, instead of the programmer? Can the programmer not build the exact same application in CoffeeScript as they can JavaScript when CoffeeScript is really nothing more than syntactic sugar?
GWT is really a different category as it’s less of transpiling to JS, rather than just a set of prexisting options that you can piece together to build a Web UI. Since that’s really all you’re referencing from Java and not actually building anything, what makes this any better than just using a better library or frontend framework?
I’m not saying there is not anything wrong with JS, there is, but the points you mentioned here and in your blog post have more to do with the person writing it than the language, or the implementation, itself.
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Yes, perhaps CoffeeScript wasn’t a great example. My point, however, was that there are many options available to you, in fact, a bewildering array.
GWT lets you write browser-based applications that execute JavaScript. You don’t code in JavaScript, and that’s a Good Thing. If by “better framework,” you mean something like AngularJS or Ember, then you’re still coding in JavaScript. You use Java to write all your business logic and anything that is not covered in the library or framework.
Similarly, with Amber, you can write all your business logic in Smalltalk, while still benefitting from JavaScript performance and the JavaScript ecosystem.
It’s really all about not having to code in JavaScript because the language itself is so problematic. It’s so easy to stumble and fall into a trap. From this perspective, you may blame the programmer, but that’s a silly way to look at it. If a language can trip up developers more often than other, more sane languages, then you have to ask why. JavaScript got this reputation for no frivolous reasons.
If anyone looking to start learning Programming, i would suggest to start the Programming with C++( and C obviously), which helps in understanding the low level intricacies, and the Logic, basics of OOPS. Then diverge to what ever works for you. Basic principle: If you are cream of the crop of developers, you will always stay afloat, no matter what is your core programming expertise.
While there are benefits to learning something like C++, novices are likely to have an easier time with an interpreted language first. It could still be something relatively close to that syntax but easier to jump in and hack the code.
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Awesome post. From my point of view for web development JAVA and Python are best programming languages in future. Although it depends on developer which language to learn and in which they are interested.
Post edited by TechnoBear (again) to remove link drop (again)
According to me Java development will continue leading this year as well.
According to me PHP development will continue leading this year as well.
Post edited by TechnoBear to remove fake signature
Languages like php, python, ruby (on rails) are popular because they are open source and widely supported. They are big darlings within the web development community along with dozens of other framework/languages that utilize javascript. This is partially why javascript has increased in the rankings. Not only is it the fundamental front end functionality glue for almost any web / app platform, there’s a ton of new javascript frameworks for client and server. Things like angular, node.js, meteor, backbone etc.
With that said, for the average real world young graduate looking to get an IT job in the corporate/government world, most companies are probably using some platform that utilizes java,or .NET C# and a SQL DB. I’d add to this knowing the basic nail and hammer aspect of web development (html, css and javascript). I say this only so some poor IT grad doesn’t spend all his time on something like node.js only to find he’ll hardly use those skills in most real world jobs. On the other hand, if you are going to school to become a software engineer and trying to land a job with some hipster upstart in silicon valley thats a different story.
javascript is so widespread and has done its job just fine. coffeescript is just another layer on top of javascript. Many of the things you mention are still again abstractions of javascript. Personally i think coffeescript is pointless. It’s akin to the way ruby on rails developers completely ignore SQL which is really driving the db connections in activemodel. Let’s lessen syntax so much it starts to defeat its very own purpose of making a language readable.
The best language to learn: any. Just get out there and start! I think most developers have a similar story - I started out with HTML/CSS, wanted to make my sites more dynamic so I threw in PHP and MySQL, became a passion and went down rabbit holes in Python, Java, C/C++, JS, Pearl, etc… I don’t think I know anyone who exclusively just programs in one language.
I tried several languages, started from php, then played wih java, python, ruby and c#. In my opinion, I prefere strongly typed languages and C# between them. Comparing to java or other strongly typed languages, C# is more flexible, modern, it’s easer to me express logic comapring for example with java. So, my choise is C#.
Here is a poll about programing languages,
http://itpolls.com/polls/1013/what-is-your-favorite-programming-language