Which Programming Language Use To Choose Mobile App Development?

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There are many programming languages use to choose Mobile App Development… so many to tell the truth that there is at least one for each letter of the alphabet!
The best known are JavaScript, Java, Python, C #, PHP, C, C ++, Ruby, Swift and Objective-C.

When you are a beginner it is difficult to choose your first language. We are afraid of “taking the wrong one”.

In this article I will explain the criteria to take into account when choosing your first language when you are a beginner in programming.

Finally, you will find out why I recommend learning JavaScript as your first programming language.

Introduction

You are a beginner and you ask yourself the very first question that all beginners ask: which programming language to choose to learn to program?

Two possibilities:
Either you already know what you want to program: a mobile application, a website, a video game, a desktop application etc.

Either you don't really know… but you know you want to learn to program!

In both cases, the next criteria apply.

Criteria for choosing a programming language

Whether ...
... or not you know what type of project you want to work on, there are a number of criteria to consider when choosing your first programming language.

Old age and modernity of a language

Today, we no longer program like in 1980, you can imagine. Programming languages ​​have evolved over the years.

in fact, the way we program has evolved: this is what we call programming paradigms .

In the beginning, we coded a list of instructions that the computer executed in a linear fashion, like a recipe for cooking: this is procedural programming. It is used, for example, in the languages ​​JavaScript, C, Pascal or Perl.

Then we moved on to object oriented programming where we create and use objects that communicate with each other. As in the languages ​​JavaScript, Java, Python, C #, PHP, C ++, Ruby, Swift or Objective-C.

As you can see, many languages ​​allow this paradigm: it is the best known and the most popular today.

Another paradigm is gaining popularity these days: it is functional programming. The principle is to code a sequence of functions (in the mathematical sense of the term) which will not create any side effects. You can use such a paradigm in almost any programming language. It's just how we use the language that will matter.

My recommendation: If your goal is to become a professional developer, you have to learn modern language in your best interests. Indeed, the job market provides fewer and fewer opportunities for old languages. You will find fewer hiring requests for COBOL than for JavaScript, for example.

Community and popularity

If you want to get an idea of ​​the most popular languages ​​at the moment, you can take a look at the 2019 Stack Overflow survey on the subject.

You can also refer to the TIOBE index which lists the most popular programming languages ​​each month based on different sources of information.

Learning a popular language will allow you to reap all the benefits of having an online community.

Earning a new programming language is not easy, learning it on your own even less so. Having a community ready to help you is a major asset in learning a programming language quickly.

The more popular the language, the more resources you will find to learn it: books, blogs, video training, podcasts, conferences, Slack chat channels, YouTube channels, etc.

My recommendation: choose a modern language with a large, active and passionate community. JavaScript and Python languages ​​are great choices; communities around these languages ​​are large and very active today.

Frameworks and libraries available

Another effect of choosing a popular language is the richness of its environment.

To create a modern application we frequently use a framework and libraries. A framework is a development framework: it is used to structure and guide the software architecture of your application.

A framework makes it possible to quickly create very complex applications while maintaining a flexible and easily maintainable software structure.

A library is simply a set of code written by a third party that can be reused in its own applications. A library makes it possible to facilitate development by not reinventing the wheel and to extend the possibilities of the programming language that we use.

For example, the Python language does not allow you to create basic graphical interfaces. But by using the PyQT library, you can use the Python language to create programs with a graphical interface.

The larger and more active the community around a language, the more choices you will have in the frameworks and libraries available to develop your application.

My recommendation: be sure to select a language that will allow you to create the application you want using the frameworks and libraries available for that language.

Ease of learning

It is not easy to learn a new programming language; some are more difficult than others to learn.

There are so-called low-level languages ​​and high-level languages.

Low-level languages ​​such as Assembler or the C language make it possible to create highly optimized programs that are close to the hardware on which it is executed.

With these languages, for example, you have to manage memory usage yourself, which can be complicated for a beginner.

Conversely, high-level languages ​​make it possible to develop applications without worrying about material considerations. Tools (like the garbage collector for example to manage the memory) allow you to realize these very technical aspects for you.

My recommendation: learn a high level language first. You will be perfectly able to learn a low level language afterwards if you wish. Starting with a low-level language could make you allergic to programming before you've even tasted it ...

Developer's tools

For some languages ​​like C, you will need to compile your program first before you can run it. The C language is a so-called compiled language.

This requires installing a compilation chain and having additional technical knowledge that must be acquired before even starting to program. It's rather frustrating.

Other so-called interpreted languages require few tools (if any!) To install in order to start programming. For example, you can start coding in JavaScript directly from your browser or from an online site!

Second thing, code editing can be greatly facilitated by the use of a code editor . This tool will make it possible to create source code more quickly and cleanly and to navigate easily in it compared to a simple text editor.

There is a wide choice of source code editors that support one or more programming languages.

My recommendation: choose an interpreted language (like JavaScript or Python) so you don't have to bother with setting up a build chain. Regarding the code editor, it is often a matter of personal preferences. Test several, then make your choice according to your tastes (make sure that it supports your programming language well!).

Type of final project

Last and not the least: your project. Some projects require the use of a particular language to be developed.

This is the case, for example, with native mobile applications on Android or iOS. This is the case with websites which always end up producing HTML / CSS.

For all these special cases, I have summarized your possibilities in several sections below.

Which programming language to choose for a video game?

It depends on the platform on which the video game will run.

For PC: I recommend C ++ (standard in the video game industry), or JavaScript (using Phase) if you want to make simple 2D games.

For consoles (Xbox, PSX etc.): you must use C, C ++ or C #. Take a look at the Software Development Kits (SDKs) made available to mavendigital App Development Solution by the manufacturers of these consoles to find out more.

To make an online game: it's JavaScript with HTML / CSS

Which programming language to choose for the Web?

Again it depends on what you want to achieve. .

If you want to make a frontend- side website (= graphical interface), learn HTML / CSS and JavaScript.

If you want to develop data management for a website, i.e. backend side (= server side), learn PHP, Ruby, or JavaScript (using NodeJS).

Which programming language to choose for an android, iOS or Windows Mobile application?

For Android: learn Java (or Kotlin).

For iOS: learn Swift, you can still use Objective-C but it will be replaced by Swift in the future.

For Windows Mobile: it is C #, VB.NET, C or C ++.
If you want an application that can run on all these platforms: learn JavaScript and a framework like React Native, Ionic or Cordova.

Which programming language to choose for a desktop application?

You can use many different languages ​​to develop a desktop application, the most used are Java, C # and C ++. You can also use JavaScript with ElectronJS.

Desktop software like the Visual Studio Code editor is developed in Typescript (a superset of the JavaScript language) using ElectronJS.
The performances are there!

BONUS: What are the most used programming languages?

JavaScript has held the first place for 7 years now; here are the top 5 of the most used programming languages: