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Java vs Javascript vs Python: Which Language Has the Best Chance to Survive?

It’s near impossible to accurately predict the future of any programming language let alone Python, Java, or JavaScript. But right off the bat, it’s safe to say that the latter will be around for many years to come.

This can probably be directly attributed to the fact that JavaScript is now the de-facto programming language for frontend web development. It has also made its way into the backend with technologies like NodeJS.

But having said that, it’s hard to see any of these coding languages becoming obsolete. Maybe they won’t be as popular, but you can expect them to continue to play some kind of role in technology going forward.

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Python rising

Python development has been growing from strength to strength in recent years and has built a strong following. Its popularity can be attributed to the fact that’s far more intuitive and reads a lot like normal human communication.

Python’s popularity corresponds with the rise of big data and the Internet of Things (IoT). This is because it has some great tools for prototyping and analytics. Ruby was quite popular for rapid prototyping, but Python is just as good, so most developers have now jumped on the Python wagon.

As artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and neural networks get rapidly incorporated into corporate infrastructure, Python is now more relevant than ever before. Furthermore, as it was specifically designed to be a language that can be learned quite easily, it has been adopted by many who don’t come from a software development background.

However, Python does have some flaws like its dependence on indentation for blocks. What’s more, it also lacks a hiding mechanism which sometimes results in the absence of object encapsulation. As a result, when the code base becomes quite large, it will become extremely difficult to maintain.

Java still has a future

Java development isn’t going to disappear anytime soon and can easily keep going for another decade or two. You can find it in most enterprise solutions that continuously supports a large user-base.

It’s popular among large enterprises as it’s well-engineered, reliable, secure, and has a massive amount of frameworks and libraries to support it (and this is because it’s not just a language, it’s also a complete framework with a lot of libraries).

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Java is also the go-to language for Android development!

At this juncture, it’s also good to mention that it’s not the pretties programming language out there. This is probably why we haven’t seen any significant growth in recent years. But although there are many alternatives, Java isn’t going to be replaced anytime soon.

JavaScript is king!

JavaScript is extremely popular, but simultaneously, it’s also one of the most hated programming languages on the planet. Again, like Java, it’s not the prettiest language and comes with some poorly implemented features.

When it first came out, it was the only language that could run inside a web browser. This resulted in accelerated adoption across the world. But its faults are infamous and many (like CoffeeScript, Dart, and TypeScript) have tried to kill it off without much success.

While some were created just to compile JavaScript, others were intended to compete directly and replace it. But it didn’t work because most web browser developers stuck with JavaScript due to its ubiquity.

Recently, things have started to get better with the ECMAScript 6 update. It fixed a lot of the issues related to JavaScript and added some much-needed features. But even if this update didn’t take place, JavaScript would have remained strong.

This is because it’s already used by billions of users on a daily basis. Additionally, distributing the latest update is as easy as loading a web page.

While most of the other languages are interchangeable to a certain extent, no other language can provide instant access to billions of users like JavaScript. As a result, you can expect it to outlast most of the programming languages out there.

While JavaScript development has the best prospects for the future, Java and Python still have an important role to play at least in the near future. Further, as more and more technology solutions embrace a full stack approach, you can expect technology solutions in the future to combine several languages and frameworks.

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IT Storyteller and Copywriter
Andrew's current undertaking is big data analytics and AI as well as digital design and branding. He is a contributor to various publications with the focus on emerging technology and digital marketing.