Javascript still most popular coding language

JavaScript

Javascript remains to be the most popular coding language for businesses, with Java, HTML and C following closely behind, a report by Pluralsight has revealed.

Using data from the courses its users signed up to during 2019, the company explained that businesses should take notice of these trends in order to understand the upcoming skills priorities in the IT landscape.

It will also help firms stay more competitive and help developers ensure they have the right skills to find jobs in the tech world, Pluralsight explained.

Although considered to be a legacy language in comparison to newer coding languages such as Svelte, Apple MDM, Jest and Kotlin, Javascript's flexibility is why it remains to be the leading tool for businesses.

"It goes without saying that the ubiquity, flexibility and extensibility of JavaScript will make it one of the most important programming languages of the century," Sean Farrington, SVP EMEA at Pluralsight said.

35% of those learning through Pluralsight's platform watched at least one course about a top ten technology. This is a significant proportion of the training platform's users and illustrates that although new languages are surfacing, those traditional subjects remain to be in demand.

"What surprised us this year, is that Microsoft Flow and PowerApps feature so highly. They are both fundamental to a growing trend that empowers non-programmers to create automations that often go on to become mission-critical to a business," Farrington added.

The company doesn't think the split of leading technologies will change much in the coming 12 months, but this doesn't mean businesses shouldn't disregard up and coming languages wither.

"Enterprises should keep in mind that if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got," Farrington added. "Organisations wanting to stand out from the competition should certainly test the waters with new approaches to software development. It could be the difference between success and failure in the year ahead."

Clare Hopping
Freelance writer

Clare is the founder of Blue Cactus Digital, a digital marketing company that helps ethical and sustainability-focused businesses grow their customer base.

Prior to becoming a marketer, Clare was a journalist, working at a range of mobile device-focused outlets including Know Your Mobile before moving into freelance life.

As a freelance writer, she drew on her expertise in mobility to write features and guides for ITPro, as well as regularly writing news stories on a wide range of topics.