Top 10 Most Popular Programming Languages

There are hundreds of programming languages in use today. How can you know which one to learn first? How do you know which ones are the best for your IT field of choice? Well, I can't answer that question for you. Learning a programming language is not easy, but it can be very rewarding.

1.Java
Java uses a compiler, and is an object-oriented language released in 1995 by Sun Microsystems. Java is the number one programming language today for many reasons. First, it is a well-organized language with a strong library of reusable software components. Second, programs written in Java can run on many different computer architectures and operating systems because of the use of the JVM (Java virtual machine). Sometimes this is referred to as code portability or even WORA (write once, run anywhere). Third, Java is the language most likely to be taught in university computer science classes. A lot of computer science theory books written in the past decade use Java in the code examples.

Java Strengths: WORA, popularity
Java Weaknesses: Slower than natively compiled languages

2.C
C is a compiled, procedural language developed in 1972 by Dennis Ritchie for use in the UNIX operating system. Although designed to be portable in nature, C programs must be specifically compiled for computers with different architectures and operating systems. This helps make them lightning fast. Although C is a relatively old language, it is still widely used for system programming, writing other programming languages, and in embedded systems.

Strengths: Speed
Weaknesses: Memory management can be difficult to master

3.C++
C++ is a compiled, multi-paradigm language written as an update to C in 1979 by Bjarne Stroustrup. It attempts to be backwards-compatible with C and brings object-orientation, which helps in larger projects. Despite it's age, C++ is used to create a wide array of applications from games to office suites.

Strengths: Speed
Weaknesses: C++ is older and considered more clumsy than newer object-oriented languages such as Java or C#.

4.PHP
PHP uses a run-time interpreter, and is a multi-paradigm language originally developed in 1996 by Rasmus Lerdorf to create dynamic web pages. At first it was not even a real programming language, but over time it eventually grew into a fully featured object-oriented programming language. Although PHP has been much criticized in the past for being a bit sloppy and insecure, it's been pretty good since version 5 came out in 2004. It's hard to argue with success. Today, PHP is the most popular language used to write web applications.

Strengths: Web programming, good documentation
Weaknesses: Inconsistent syntax, too many ways to do the same thing, a history of bizarre security decisions.