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Programming

Rust Leaps Forward on Language Popularity Index (infoworld.com) 59

Posted by EditorDavid from the Rust-never-sleeps dept.
An anonymous reader shared this report from InfoWorld: Rust has leaped to its highest position ever in the monthly Tiobe index of language popularity, scaling to the 13th spot this month, with placement in the top 10 anticipated in an upcoming edition. Previously, Rust has never gone higher than 17th place in the Tiobe Programming Index. Tiobe CEO Paul Jansen attributed Rust's ascent in the just-released July index to a February 2024 U.S. White House report recommending Rust over C/C+ for safety reasons. He also credited the growing community and ecosystem support for the language. "Rust is finally moving up."
The article adds that these rankings are based on "the number of skilled engineers worldwide, courses, and third-party vendors pertaining to languages, examining websites such as Google, Amazon, Wikipedia, and more than 20 others to determine the monthly numbers."
  1. Python
  2. C++
  3. C
  4. Java
  5. C#
  6. JavaScript
  7. Go
  8. Visual Basic
  9. Fortran
  10. SQL

Interestingly, Rust has just moved into the top ten on the rival rankings from the rival Pypl Popularity of Programming Language index (which according to the article "assesses how often languages are searched on in Google.")

  1. Python
  2. Java
  3. JavaScript
  4. C#
  5. C/C++
  6. R
  7. PHP
  8. TypeScript
  9. Swift
  10. Rust

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Rust Leaps Forward on Language Popularity Index More

Rust Leaps Forward on Language Popularity Index

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  • Rust is great and all... (Score:3)

    by christoban ( 3028573 ) on Sunday July 14, 2024 @08:14AM (#64624379)

    But finding an app it makes sense to use it on is the challenge. Writing Rust code is fun, but frustrating and slow. For services and front end apps, GCed languages are usually a much better choice. That doesn't leave much room for Rust, so it's amazing it's getting the market share it's getting.

    I'm using it for a game now, an area where it really shines.

    • Re:Rust is great and all... (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Kisai ( 213879 ) on Sunday July 14, 2024 @09:10AM (#64624467)

      I hope Rust just replaces C++. Not C.

      If we get into a position where Rust actually has ZERO depreciation creep (Eg doesn't try to remove any functionality, doesn't try to redefine functionality that breaks all backwards compatibility) then it could possibly de-throne C. But until then everyone makes C-bindings because C bindings don't break. (C++ bindings break from C++ Runtime to Runtime, never mind build numbers.)

      I see Python eventually being dumped for something that breaks less version to version. Javascript isn't going anywhere no matter how much griping people have about it, but I see more programs cross-compile into javascript to make it run in the browser rather than trying to actually make a non-shitty program.

      • How come languages can't agree on a common style and syntax? People might be more conducive to switching languages if there's no change in how they type out programs. Java attempted to mostly copy C/C++, why can't they be the same except 'under the hood' ?

      • Re:Rust is great and all... (Score:4, Interesting)

        by narcc ( 412956 ) on Sunday July 14, 2024 @07:43PM (#64625283) Journal

        I wouldn't worry about Rust replacing C, or anything else for that matter. You'll find no shortage of 'Rustisms', common patterns and idioms, which hint at more fundamental problems with the language's design. Rust is absolutely a step forward, but I fully expect it to be replaced by a language that does the same things in a simpler and more accessible way.

        Python's popularity also continues to baffle me, but so does the simultaneous hate for Javascript. Most of the complaints people have about JS are about dynamic languages in general and apply equally to Python. Despite ECMA's best efforts to destroy it, JS is a surprisingly elegant language at its core, not that far removed from languages like Lisp. It has been deeply misunderstood. Python is also misunderstood, but it benefits from its undeserved reputation. I'll never understand why people put up with it.

      • Javascript isn't going anywhere no matter how much griping people have about it, but I see more programs cross-compile into javascript to make it run in the browser rather than trying to actually make a non-shitty program

        My prediction is that once WebAssembly gains direct DOM bindings you will see an explosion of alternatives (both shitty and non-shitty) frameworks for client-side apps. When developers can choose one language and use it on both client and server they will gravitate to that.

      • I hope Rust just replaces C++. Not C.

        Forlorn hope, Rust will never dispace c++. But Rust will continue to drive c++ evolution in useful directions.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by e3m4n ( 947977 )

      I use python more than anything simply because its just easy. If I beed to figure out how to do something I ask google. Chances are high someone else already asked and there is either an answer or a module already built that does most of what I need. Its my goto sysadmin language nect to shell scripts. I prefer it significantly over Perl.

      • But with python you must not forget to load the spelling correction module, which is a common mishap.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by novitk ( 38381 )

        Easy is not good enough. The language has to be productive. Firstly, let me admit that the python is pretty high in this metric. Furthermore, I'd probably agree that ten years ago, it was arguably the most productive widely used programming language, given quality of ecosystem in both libraries (numpy, sqlalchemy, django, etc), tooling (jupyter, venv, conda) and ubiquity.
        But times have changed, FP influenced statically typed languages made a lot of progress. To me it's not obvious anymore that dynamic typin

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by narcc ( 412956 )

          I strongly disagree that Python is "simpler" either "quicker to teach" or well suited for "non-specialists" to use. Python might lack curly braces, but that doesn't make it "simpler". If anything, things like meaningful whitespace, list comprehensions, and inconsistent syntax make it much more difficult for beginners to learn and for 'non-specialists' to use.

          I don't know that I could even make an argument for Python as a beginner language or as a language for "non-professionals" over modern alternatives l

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Rust never sleeps.

      Hey hey, my my.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Pieroxy ( 222434 )

      Games and embedded stuff. I'd go down the path of recommending it for kernel, drivers, and many other low level stuff as well.

      It is true that the development is slower at first, but it comes with so many more guarantees than the rest of the pack that it's definitely worth it. Note that Java and C# already guarantee memory safety, but thread safety is a real plus IMO.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by gweihir ( 88907 )

        Also note that Java and C# are unsuitable for kernel, drivers and many other low-level stuff. Not an accident.

        • Microsoft once built an OS around a managed language (C# maybe), with a runtime with GC at the kernel level, running everything including drivers. It's too bad they kept it internal, never heard of a similar effort.

  • Someone should create a TV show where we vote languages off the island.

  • but Fortran users need their little naps.

    • I was wondering the same, Fortran at #9? I had a Fortran class in college and have encountered a tiny number of Fortran apps in my professional work. However, #9? No, that makes zero sense.

      • You missed my point. I'm old and need naps. :)
        I like Fortran and have used it for about 90% of my work over the last 35 years.
        All the hydrodynamics codes I have supplied to the US Navy, Defense departments and University Engineering departments were in Fortran.
        That's the language they specified because it doesn't need maintenance, and they have nerds who know it well enough to modify what they want.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by narcc ( 412956 )

          Indeed. There is a lot of value in that kind of stability. That Fortran also happens to be easy to use while being exceptionally performant is icing on the cake.

        • Oddly enough, my run ins with Fortran were with the DoD, but that was in the 90s. I mainly worked with precompilers at the time and Oracle's Pro*Fortran was under my purview. Apologies to the Fortran jockeys out there, I meant no disrespect, I'm actually a bit jealous to be honest. Must be refreshing to not have to deal with "why don't we switch to" discussions every time something shiny-new pops up.

      • A lot of people use Fortran code without knowing it. For example, Fortran is used in the Numpy library in Python, in the statistical package R, for OpenMPI, and another metric ton of specialized libraries and programs for scientific computing.

  • ... and there were "loud noises" and somebody "falling" last night.

    But don't worry, we won't post anything about it.

  • I'm rootin for Powershell (Score:3)

    by byronivs ( 1626319 ) on Sunday July 14, 2024 @08:49AM (#64624437) Journal
    It's got 3 green arrows. I'll put my money on moxie!

  • White House Recommendation (Score:4, Funny)

    by willkane ( 6824186 ) on Sunday July 14, 2024 @09:05AM (#64624457)

    You know you're doing really bad when you need the White House to boost your popularity.

    It's like if your mother shows up at the high school to tell your classroom mates how cool you are.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Sique ( 173459 )
      So 110 V AC is bad, because the White House recommends it? While I understand your sentiment, I would put it slightly different. No one said that Rust needs the White House endorsement. The Fine Article just stated that the White House does. You now can act on this information as you like, but my preferred course of action would be to evaluate Rust based on your experience or the experience of your coworkers with the language and not White House recommendation, because you probably have a better expertise i

      • It seems that your sense of humor is a little rusty.

      • So 110 V AC is bad, because the White House recommends it?

        Can I ask when and where the White House has recommended it? Nobody is talking about replacing 110v with anything else. Has Rust become political?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by g01d4 ( 888748 )

      need the White House to boost your popularity

      I recall back in the day when the DoD recommended Ada for essentially "safety" reasons. Lots of contracts from the DoD don't ya know. Maybe the White House maps to the DoD since POTUS is commander in chief. AFAIK Ada hasn't been on anyone's top 10 for quite some time.

  • List of Very Different Languages (Score:3)

    by BrendaEM ( 871664 ) on Sunday July 14, 2024 @09:31AM (#64624479) Homepage
    The list is a bit useless, as it compares apples to oranges.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by gweihir ( 88907 )

      That is why the Rust fanatics jump on it. In a fair comparison, they have nothing.

      • On the contrary, in the Rust sub-reddit this news was met with almost universal criticism of the Tiobe Index as a reliable source.
  • but it's 10th place instead of 3rd

  • R is used by like 20 people in the world, and Rust is below it.

    Ooookay.

    • R is used by like 20 people in the world, and Rust is below it.

      I must be privileged because I know 3 people who use it. And they do not even work for the same company. But they work in data analysis so that tracks.

  • That is the _actual_ take-away here. Constant cheerleading does not make a tool good in any way.

    • But but but... the article says they're looking at what "skilled engineers" are searching for! So obviously this index can't be just mindlessly counting total web searches being done by just anyone!

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by gweihir ( 88907 )

        Hehehe. Well, these assholes have found out that facts are harder to come by than lies and manipulative language. Maybe they learned that from the systemd-scum.

    • You're gonna hate the Thunderbird thread.

    • Re:Still irrelevant (Score:4, Insightful)

      by smoot123 ( 1027084 ) on Sunday July 14, 2024 @04:29PM (#64625059)

      That is the _actual_ take-away here. Constant cheerleading does not make a tool good in any way.

      For fun, I chased some links to the TIOBE index. It explicitly says it's not measuring what language is used to write the most lines of code.

      I think it would be fun to great a Gartner-like magic quadrant chart, the axes being "Buzz factor" and "Lines of new code committed to GitHub."

  • What about APL? Why isn't APL on this list!!!

  • Go Visual Basic! (Score:3)

    by fredrated ( 639554 ) on Sunday July 14, 2024 @07:40PM (#64625279) Journal

    Yeah!

  • What is it used for? What use cases does it solve better than existing languages? Is it a good business language? Does it do front end work better? Is it better at real time? I hear how great it is at garbage collection and other shite, but I never hear what coding problems it actually solves and where I might use it. I know Java, Python, C, a bit of Javascript, a shitpile of SQL and procedural SQL, and a bunch of scripting languages, etc. I normally work on back end systems for business. Why is Rust going
    • Rust is great because you can give it to incompetent programmers, and their code won't have any memory leaks, and it won't be as slow as Python. That's it.

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