Java and Python are the world’s most popular programming languages. Both are general-purpose programming language having object-oriented features. For a long time, Java has been the front runner of all other programming languages. This is due to its number of packages and flexibility. But in recent years, Python is catching up pretty quickly.

Increasing trend of Python Language

Python is one of the fastest growing programming languages in the world. There is a huge number of developers that use the language daily for a variety of applications. Over the years, major corporations have adopted the language for their purposes. They are:

Instagram runs on Django, that is a powerful and secure Python web framework
Dropbox uses Python for providing cloud storage services to its clients
The Watson artificial intelligence system launched by IBM has a separate Python SDK for modifying it
Netflix has a powerful analytics engine that provides you with recommendations for shows you might enjoy. The engine is based on Python
Youtube’s code is written in Python
Around 21 % of the code of Facebook’s infrastructure is written in Python

The user base of the python programming language has been growing since its inception in the early 90s. One of the key factors that have driven its growth is development time. Most of the developers love Python because it takes lesser lines of code to build an application. This is because the language is built in a way so they can focus on converting ideas into code. They do not have to worry about complicated syntax issues.

Another important factor has made Python very trending. This is the use of the language in big data and machine learning.

It is used in machine learning for writing algorithms and developing applications. It offers many useful libraries like Pytorch, Tensorflow, NLTK and Keras.
Furthermore, Python is being extensively used in web development. Full stack web frameworks such as Django, TurboGears and Pyramid are used to develop web applications faster.

At present, developers use Python for web development and data analysis. DevOps and System Administration are the next most used areas of the year 2019.

Special Features of Python

Python has many special features that make it a popular choice. They are:

Open-source

Python is completely free and open source. This means that you can download the interpreter from their official website at no cost. Being open source, the source code is available for all to modify and enhance it.

Code interpretation

Python code does not have to be compiled totally. This is because the language is interpreted and is executed one line at a time. This makes it better than languages such as C or C++. Therefore, Python programs run faster and are easier to debug.

Object-oriented

Python is an object-oriented language. So, the language supports concepts such as classes, objects, and encapsulation. Developers can make complex applications that require these concepts.

GUI

You can use the language for making graphical user interfaces. It has modules such as Tk, PyQt5, wxPython and PyQt4 to do it. Graphical applications can be easily developed using the PyQt5 module.
Furthermore, you can develop GUI applications easily through Python. These applications can be run on Windows systems such as Windows MFC and the Unix X Window System.

High-level language

In Python, you do not have to keep the system architecture in mind while writing programs. This is because the language is high level and is executed by the interpreter. The processor does not run it. So your program code does not have to manage the memory.

Libraries

Another important feature of Python is its huge availability of modules. It has an extensive standard library. So, you do not have to write code for everything. You will probably find a library for all types of tasks such as scrappy, pillow, tqdm, requests, pendulum, IPython and arrow.

You will find libraries and frameworks for unit testing, data science, web development and many other applications. This makes coding easier and faster. As a result, the deployment time is enhanced when developers work on large projects.

Dynamically typed

The Python programming language is dynamically typed. For example, you are writing a program in Python. You do not have to to mention the variable types explicitly. The Python interpreter recognizes the type of variable during run time.

Interactive debugging

You can test and debug your code by the help of Python’s interactive mode.

Why Python Preferred Over Other Programming Languages

1) Typing

Being dynamically typed, Python code is easier and faster to write. The Python interpreter checks the variable types during run time. So, you can focus more on the logic of the code minutely.

Moreover, it is statically typed. Therefore, you have to mention the variable names before running the code. This makes its code a little complex.
Being statically typed, a Java program will not run or compile properly if a syntax error is spotted.

2) Readability

Instead of curly brackets like most languages, Python uses whitespaces or indentation. This enhances the readability of the program. So, novice programmers do not get confused and are able to read the code easily. Along with this, Python does not use any semicolon. So, there are lesser chances of you committing syntax errors.

On the other hand, Java uses semicolons and curly brackets in its code. This might be a little daunting for beginners. They might get confused while working with loops and functions.

3) Productivity

Programs written in Python need fewer lines of code. For example, a simple program for printing Hello World to the console is as follows:

print ("Hello World!")

With fewer lines of code, programmers can complete large projects faster. As the development time enhances, the overall productivity of the team increases.

4) Learning curve

This where Python beats many other programming languages, including Java. The learning curve in Python is not very steep. That is why many people are choosing Python over other programming languages.

Using Python, you can learn the basics of loops, variables, conditional statements and object-oriented concepts quickly. You can then move on to other programming languages like C, C++ and Java. This transition will be easier for you. Grasping new concepts and languages is easier this way.

Other Trending Programming Languages in 2020

This year has seen the rise of other great programming languages apart from Java and Python. Let us take a look at them in detail:

Javascript

According to the Stack Overflow Developer Survey of 2019, Javascript is the most popular programming language. Formerly called LiveScript, this language is considered the language of the web. It is a client-side language and is used in front end development of websites.
You can also use it easily in the back end as well using the Node.js.

Swift

This is an open-source language developed by Apple. This is used for creating native Mac OS and iOS applications. Its syntax is influenced by Python and Ruby. So, it is easier to learn, code and debug. The syntax is like natural English and the programs require less code.
It has a small community that is growing rapidly. However, the language is considered less stable as it is upgraded constantly.

Go

The Go programming language is built by Google. Companies that work with distributed systems make use of this language. It provides great support for multithreading.
The syntax of the languages is statically typed and is very secure. According to the programmers, it has a moderate learning curve. It is great for developing single-page applications.

R Programming Language

This is the most commonly used language for machine learning and data analysis. It is also used for statistical computing and graphics. There are built-in libraries that make it easier for writing machine learning algorithms.

Conclusion

In recent years, Python has become very popular. Considered a powerful language, it is catching up with Java quickly. This is mainly due to its easy syntax and learning curve. Most beginners all over the world are choosing Python over Java and other programming languages.

Experienced programmers state that Python is easier to set up and execute. Its indentation is also easier than Java. However, when it comes to performance, Java is faster than Python. Java’s runtime compilation makes it faster than Python. This is because of Python’s interpreted nature.

However, Java is still the first option when it comes to building mobile applications. But Python is the most favoured when it comes to IoT and artificial intelligence.

shailesh77

How is Python catching up with Java?

Join Our Newsletter. No Spam, Only the good stuff.