Python: Is it right for my business?

There is a plethora of choice when it comes to different programming languages. Python is just one of many widely used, but boasts the likes of Google, Youtube, Instagram and Spotify as some of the household names adopting it. 

So, why should a business choose Python over the likes of Java for its programming language and what role does Python play? These decisions are more complex than a simple, ‘pros and cons’ list in software development. Each has different use cases, and...

18 December 2020 | Languages

State of the Octoverse 2020: Devs increase productivity despite pandemic

GitHub’s latest State of the Octoverse has been released, offering developer insights for a year which has been unlike any other.

Fortunately, software development is one industry which could adapt quickly to the unique circumstances brought about by the pandemic. Many developers already work remotely so, for some, minimal-to-no changes were required to their working habits during lockdowns.

56 million developers used GitHub in 2020—making over 1.9 billion...

2 December 2020 | Git

TIOBE Index: Python slithers ahead of Java for the first time

The latest edition of the TIOBE Index has been released and highlights Python’s continued growth in popularity.

Here are the top 10 most popular languages according to TIOBE’s November 2020 index:

The most notable change in the top 10 is that exchange of places between Java and Python.

Python was created by Guido van Rossum and first released in 1991. The language has gained popularity in recent years due to its reputation of being relatively simple to...

6 November 2020 | Java

Julia developers reveal continued affinity for Python – and would otherwise use it

Half of what this article will say is not meaningless: a new user survey from the arbiters of dynamic programming language Julia has underlined the importance of Python for its community, as well as wider data science applications.

The results were based on a poll of more than 2,500 users and developers of the MIT-created language in June. Python was clear as the second placed language - behind Julia, of course - both in terms of usage and appreciation.

58% of those...

27 August 2020 | Development Tools

Python holds its ground as Java slides in Redmonk’s language rankings

Programming language Python has had a good week, but the same can't be said for Java.

In language rankings this month released by IEEE, Python ranked number one with a comfortable lead ahead of Java. It's similar news in Redmonk's rankings this week.

Redmonk's biannual rankings measures GitHub pull requests and Stack Overflow queries over a period of six months to get an idea of the popularity of various programming languages.

JavaScript remains in top place...

28 July 2020 | Java

IEEE Spectrum: Python is the top programming language of 2020

The latest IEEE Spectrum shows Python retaining its lead to be the top programming language of 2020.

First created 30 years ago in 1990, Python's popularity has surged in recent years thanks to it being ideally suited for artificial intelligence and web development. Many schools also teach Python because it's considered a relatively easy language for beginners.

IEEE's rankings are interactive to take into account the unique needs and interests of each programmer. On...

27 July 2020 | Languages

Python libraries imitating ‘dateutil’ and ‘jellyfish’ caught stealing SSH and GPG keys

Two malicious Python libraries have been caught stealing SSH and GPG keys from developers over the past year.

The libraries were part of PyPI (Python Package Index) and imitated two popular non-malicious libraries using typosquatting.

The first library is “python3-dateutil,” which imitates “dateutil,” a library which provides extensions to Python’s standard datetime module.

Next up is the “jeIlyfish” library, with the first...

5 December 2019 | Hacking & Security

Extreme C book extract: Exploring structures and user-defined types in C

The growth and popularity of C continues. The most recent TIOBE index of most popular programming languages saw C in a virtual dead heat with Java, knocking the latter off its perch for the first time in five years.

In his new book, Extreme C (left), Kamran Amini outlines the essential features of the language before moving onto encapsulation and composition, synchronisation, as well as advanced...

25 November 2019 | Development Tools

Octoverse 2019: Python slithers past Java to become GitHub’s second most popular language

GitHub has published its latest State of the Octoverse report which provides fascinating insights into the development industry.

As the world’s largest repository host, GitHub is in a fairly unique position to monitor trends among the developer community. The company’s new report has once again highlighted some important changes.

Top languages

Perhaps unsurprisingly, JavaScript retains the crown as the most-used programming language on GitHub over the past...

8 November 2019 | Git

Farewell, benevolent dictator: Python creator Guido van Rossum retires

Guido van Rossum, the "benevolent dictator for life" creator of Python, is stepping down from his current role at Dropbox and hanging up his keyboard.

Dropbox hired van Rossum six and a half years ago. The hire made perfect sense, given the company uses about four million lines of Python code. When van Rossum started in 2011, Dropbox’s server and desktop client were written "almost exclusively in Python".

Over the years, other languages have seeped...

31 October 2019 | Artificial Intelligence