7 Programming Languages on the Rise
InfoWorld (12/25/10) Peter Wayner
Python, Ruby on Rails, MATLAB, JavaScript, R, Erlang, Cobol, and CUDA are among the niche programming languages that are becoming increasingly popular in enterprises. Python has a structure that makes it easy to scale in the cloud, making it popular with scientists because it is flexible and allows users to improvise and quickly see results. Ruby on Rails is popular for prototyping and cataloging data that can be stored in tables. MATLAB was built to help mathematicians solve complex linear equations, but has found a market in the enterprise due to the large amounts of data that modern organizations must analyze. There are several open source alternatives to MATLAB, including Octave, Scilab, Sage, and PySci. Meanwhile, several new applications, including CouchDB and Node.js, have boosted the popularity of JavaScript. The R programming language carries out multiple functions for numerical and statistical analysis of large data sets, and is used to examine the feasibility of business or engineering projects. Erlang combines traditional aspects of functional programming with a modern virtual machine that organizes machine code. Cobol appeals to programmers who work well with syntax that is more similar to a natural language. CUDA extensions are being used by enterprise programmers for machine vision, huge simulations, and complicated statistical computations.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Blog: 7 Programming Languages on the Rise
Friday, June 11, 2010
Blog: Python Language Upgrade Slithers Toward Final Release
Python Language Upgrade Slithers Toward Final Release
InfoWorld (06/11/10) Krill, Paul
Developers of Python 2.7 offered a release candidate for the last upgrade in the legacy 2.x dynamic language line earlier in June, and plan to make a finished version available July 3, says Python Software Foundation chairman Steve Holden. "We anticipate a long period of end-of-life support--most likely at least five years but certainly beyond the normal two years," he says. Many Python programmers have already moved to the 3.x line because developers wanted to make some dramatic changes to the language while still maintaining its essence. "A number of 3.1 features have been back-ported [to Python 2.7], including set literals, dictionary, and set comprehensions--an easy way of programmatically generating data--and the new 'io' module," Holden says. The 3.x line is not compatible with the 2.x line, but its features will help ease the migration when the time comes to move to the upgrade. Developers are working on Python 3.2, which will include a rewrite of the Global Interpreter Lock to ensure thread consistency, with a final release expected in December.