Cobol - What's Hot?

Author

What's Hot?

Pete Dashwood

2007-08-18, 3:55 am

Last month CodeProject ran a survey, to which 4006 programmers responded (I
wasn't one of them as I only just saw it)

The question was:

Which languages are you undertaking paid work in, currently? (It was
possible to select more than 1, so percentages do not add up to 100)

Here are the results:

Language No. Votes % of total

C# 2234 55.8
SQL (any variety) 1517 37.9
C++ 1243 31.0
VB 1132 28.3
Javascript 784 19.6
Delphi 493 12.3
Java / J# 391 9.8
PHP 328 8.2
Python 80 2.0
Ruby 51 1.3

No sign of COBOL, but you wouldn't expect that, given the nature of the
CodeProject site.(It deals with OO Languages primarily).

What I find "interesting" are the following:

1. C++ has overtaken VB even though C++ is generally considered to be
non-viable for development of commercial systems. As long as you maintain
code, it IS non-viable. If you go the Object/Component route, then it
becomes feasible or even attractive. (If you're only using it as "glue" you
won't have a huge codebase in it anyway. The fact that it is favoured by
Acadaemia and corporates like MS, also gives it credibility in some
quarters.)

2. SQL outranks everything except C#. This is because (as I mentioned
elsewhere) there is increasing interest in "Database Programming" with
stored procedures and triggers replacing a lot of what was traditionally
program code. It has reached a point now, where people can make a living as
a specialist in DB programming.

3. JavaScript (perceived by many as THE Web Language, although C# is eroding
its base) has established itself over both Delphi and Java. This probably
reflects the increasing importance being placed on Web Programming, rather
than any "superiority" of JavaScript. (There is no connection between Java
and JavaScript; they are not the same, (although they can look similar),
apart from sharing Object Orientation.)

4. Ruby has moved from being a "mysterious newcomer" to achieving enough
street cred for people to pay you to write it. Notice that Perl, which was
once "top of the heap" in this area appears to have slipped below the radar.

People who are considering where to move their career, and who plan on being
in programming for the next couple of decades, would do well to consider the
implications of this list.

Pete.
--
"I used to write COBOL...now I can do anything."

Pete Dashwood

2007-08-18, 3:55 am

Oops! sorry, that was last WEEK, not last MONTH...

Pete.
--
"I used to write COBOL...now I can do anything."

TOP POST - nothing new below.

"Pete Dashwood" <dashwood@removethis.enternet.co.nz> wrote in message
news:5inev3F3q7louU1@mid.individual.net...
> Last month CodeProject ran a survey, to which 4006 programmers responded
> (I wasn't one of them as I only just saw it)
>
> The question was:
>
> Which languages are you undertaking paid work in, currently? (It was
> possible to select more than 1, so percentages do not add up to 100)
>
> Here are the results:
>
> Language No. Votes % of total
>
> C# 2234 55.8
> SQL (any variety) 1517 37.9
> C++ 1243 31.0
> VB 1132 28.3
> Javascript 784 19.6
> Delphi 493 12.3
> Java / J# 391 9.8
> PHP 328 8.2
> Python 80 2.0
> Ruby 51 1.3
>
> No sign of COBOL, but you wouldn't expect that, given the nature of the
> CodeProject site.(It deals with OO Languages primarily).
>
> What I find "interesting" are the following:
>
> 1. C++ has overtaken VB even though C++ is generally considered to be
> non-viable for development of commercial systems. As long as you maintain
> code, it IS non-viable. If you go the Object/Component route, then it
> becomes feasible or even attractive. (If you're only using it as "glue"
> you won't have a huge codebase in it anyway. The fact that it is favoured
> by Acadaemia and corporates like MS, also gives it credibility in some
> quarters.)
>
> 2. SQL outranks everything except C#. This is because (as I mentioned
> elsewhere) there is increasing interest in "Database Programming" with
> stored procedures and triggers replacing a lot of what was traditionally
> program code. It has reached a point now, where people can make a living
> as a specialist in DB programming.
>
> 3. JavaScript (perceived by many as THE Web Language, although C# is
> eroding its base) has established itself over both Delphi and Java. This
> probably reflects the increasing importance being placed on Web
> Programming, rather than any "superiority" of JavaScript. (There is no
> connection between Java and JavaScript; they are not the same, (although
> they can look similar), apart from sharing Object Orientation.)
>
> 4. Ruby has moved from being a "mysterious newcomer" to achieving enough
> street cred for people to pay you to write it. Notice that Perl, which was
> once "top of the heap" in this area appears to have slipped below the
> radar.
>
> People who are considering where to move their career, and who plan on
> being in programming for the next couple of decades, would do well to
> consider the implications of this list.
>
> Pete.
> --
> "I used to write COBOL...now I can do anything."
>

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