If you want to get into programming, you need to understand which option is the best programming language to learn. Programming involves various languages that can be used for different purposes, especially since computer technology has become a major part of pretty much every industry. So which programming language is the best one to learn? This article will help you better understand the different programming languages so that you can see which one works best for your needs.
Types of Programming Languages
There are different levels and types of programming languages that you need to understand. The first part of this is understanding the different levels of programming language: low level and high level. Low level languages are machine languages, using binary form. High level languages are languages that can be used independently of computers and more closely resemble human language than the 0 and 1 used in binary low level languages.
The next part of this is learning about the different types of programming languages. There are 5 different types of programming languages.
Procedural Programming Languages
With this type of programming, you will use a series of very well-structured procedures and various steps to create the program. It offers sets of commands through segregating the program into functions, variables, and statements & conditional operators. Some of the languages that fit in this category include Java, Adobe Dreamweaver, and FORTRAN.
Functional Programming Languages
This language involves constructing programs through both applying and composing various functions. The focus of this language is on expressions and declarations than the execution of any statements. Functional programming languages have a foundation that uses lambda calculus, using both conditional expressions and recursion in order to perform its calculations. Some examples of functional programming languages include Scheme, Scala, and Haskell.
Object-Oriented Programming Languages
Object-oriented programming languages will focus on the objects (data in forms with fields and code in forms of procedures. It’s focused on the reusability of the codes using the concepts of polymorphism and inheritance, which can ensure that the implementations are spread without requiring the code to change too much. Examples of object-oriented programming languages include JavaScript, Python, and C++.
Scripting Programming Languages
Scripting programming languages are written with a run-time environment in mind and don’t require the compilation step. This is often used for things like games applications, web applications, multimedia, and system administration. Different examples of scripting programming includes PERL, Python, Ruby.
Logic Programming Languages
This type of language doesn’t tell the machine how to complete tasks like other programming languages, focusing on logic and setting restrictions to help the machine think about what it needs to do. Types of logic programming languages include Datalog, PROLOG, ASAP.
The Best Programming Languages
Next, it’s time to look at the different programming languages to help you understand which option will help you achieve your career goals.
Python
The best programming language is Python, according to many experts, especially when you are just learning about programming. Basically this particular programming language is easy-to-use and fast as well as easy-to-deploy. Python is typically used to develop scalable web applications, which has been used for SurveyMonkey, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram. Besides Python is commonly used by startups and other businesses, which is just another reason why this is the best programming language to learn.
There are some pros and cons to consider when you are thinking about learning this programming language. Python is also a go-to language for most data scientists.
Pros
- Massive library support
- Easy to learn
- Easy to use
- Offers support for various system and platforms
Cons
- Not the right choice for mobile computing
- Global interpreter lock (GIL) makes threading less than ideal
- Slightly immature database access layer
- Slower
Java
Java has been a trusted programming language for many years, ones that businesses still use today because it is stable and larger enterprises love it. If you are looking to work for a large enterprise, this is the programming language that you will need to learn. This is an especially popular language for developing Android Apps.
Here are some pros and cons to consider with Java.
Pros
- Massive amount of open-source libraries
- Multithreading support
- Very secure
- Offers stack allocation system
Cons
- Limits with structure templates
- Memory management is expensive
- Slower
C/C++
Most low-level systems like file systems, operating systems, and other similar systems are generally written in C/C++. This is the language to learn if you want to be competitive in the programming industry. This is a fast and reliable option that many programmers favor, especially since C++ uses standard template library (STL).
Here are the pros and cons of using C/C++.
Pros
- Extensive list of libraries and compilers to work with when using C++
- Offers portability
- Execution is faster than many other programming languages
- Massive function library with C++
- More efficient and easier to understand
Cons
- Complex syntax
- Smaller standard library with C
- Lacks run-time checking
- Not easy for beginners to learn
JavaScript
The last programming language to take a look at is JavaScript. This is the “front-end’ programming language that is generally used for designing interactive front-end applications, such as when a button creates a popup. Besides there are still many businesses, including startups, that like using JavaScript for their programming languages.
Some pros and cons of JavaScript are:
Pros
- Very versatile
- Offers a richer interface for websites
- Applications can be built using this technology
- Simple implementation
- Common website programming language
- Many resources and community support
Cons
- Only has a single inheritance
- When the JavaScript code executes, people often disable it for fear of exposure to viruses and malware.
- Different browsers interpret this differently.
Conclusion
Becoming a programmer isn’t an easy task, especially when you want to look at the different programming languages. There are different purposes for using different programming languages, so you really need to learn about the languages and works best for you. This article has the basic information that you need to learn about the various programming languages to determine which language is the best programming language to learn for your career.