Technology is constantly evolving, and with it comes new types of applications and challenges that traditional programming languages may not be well-suited to. It is precisely because of the latest market trends, such as the development of artificial intelligence, PWA applications, mobile applications, or distributed processing, that new programming languages are emerging.
The constant development of programming languages results in the emergence of new solutions that allow for effectively addressing issues related to current technological needs, optimization requirements, improving the ergonomics of programmers’ work, the appropriate level of security, or improving the security and readability of the source code.
New programming languages (Rust, Go)
Rust and Go (Golang) are currently the two most popular examples of modern programming languages. They gained their popularity due to their unique characteristics and fulfilling the specific needs of modern programmers. We will present their characteristics in this article about new programming languages. There will also be information about other solutions gaining popularity that are worth paying attention to.
What are new programming languages?
New programming languages include solutions that have appeared on the market over the last few, or at most a dozen or so years. These are programming languages designed from scratch to meet current, contemporary challenges in the world of technology, programming and performance. They are designed to better support new technologies, more effectively manage resources, improve security and simplify writing and maintaining code.
The most important features of modern programming languages include, above all, high efficiency and security, simplicity and readability, support for concurrency or specialization in specific tasks.
Examples of new programming languages include:
- Rust
- Go (Golang)
- Mojo
- Zig
- Julia
- Kotlin
- Swift
- Dart
What are the latest programming languages trends?
The above-mentioned solutions allow us to respond to current trends in programming languages, which include:
- Development of artificial intelligence and large-scale computing – with the development of artificial intelligence and machine learning, the demand for languages that can effectively handle large-scale computations is growing.
- Focus on security and efficiency – modern languages are gaining popularity due to their emphasis on eliminating errors related to memory management. These languages help create safe and efficient system and low-level software, eliminating the need to use a garbage collector.
- Concurrency and scalability – new languages focus on the ease of creating high-concurrency applications, which is especially important in the era of cloud and microservices.
- Polyglotism – more and more often, developers use different languages in one project depending on their needs. For example, the front-end of an application can be written in JavaScript, and the back-end in Go or Rust. Using languages tailored to specific tasks is a growing trend, enabling better code optimization.
- Database and Analysis Specialized Languages – In the realm of scientific computing and data analysis, specialized languages are gaining popularity due to their combination of simplicity and high performance. Solutions such as Julia are optimized for working with large data sets, and their use is growing in scientific and research environments.
Rust – a modern systems language
Rust is a modern solution that is constantly gaining popularity among programmers. This programming language can be seen in more and more projects. It was designed for systems programming that combines high performance with memory safety. The language gained popularity due to its innovative memory management system and unique features that allow developers to create efficient and safe low-level applications.
Since its release, Rust has consistently ranked at the top of popularity and satisfaction rankings among developers. The language has been repeatedly voted as the most liked by developers in surveys such as the Stack Overflow Developer Survey.
How does Rust manage memory without a garbage collector?
Rust is a programming language that uses an unconventional approach to memory management that eliminates the use of a garbage collector. This is possible thanks to its innovative approach to the ownership system. It allows programmers to manage memory safely and with high performance.
Rust manages memory through three main elements:
- Ownership, which controls who owns a resource and when it is freed.
- Borrowing, which allows controlled sharing of resources without transferring ownership.
- Lifetimes, which ensure that data references are not invalid after the memory is freed.
Rust does not require a garbage collector because memory is managed deterministically. This means that the memory is freed immediately when the resource is no longer needed. This gives Rust a performance advantage over languages that use GC (e.g. Java, Go) because there is no need to periodically stop the program to clean up the memory.
Why is Rust considered a safe programming language?
Rust has earned the reputation of being an extremely safe programming language due to its innovative mechanisms that minimize the risk of typical errors related to memory and concurrency.
When choosing to use Rust, you don’t have to worry about memory errors present in low-level languages such as C or C++. The solution has mechanisms that allow multithreaded programming, and the Rust compiler carefully checks whether the code follows the rules related to memory management. Additionally, Rust carefully controls access to memory through pointers and allows low-level and potentially dangerous operations to be performed only in clearly marked unsafe blocks. The whole is complemented by mechanisms that prevent typical programming errors.
The above features eliminate classic problems related to memory management and concurrency, which makes Rust especially attractive for projects requiring security, such as system programming, blockchain, and high-performance applications.
What organizations are investing in Rust development?
Rust is a programming language that has gained recognition among the largest technology companies that use it in their largest projects. Rust is a tool for developers employed by:
- Mozilla
- Microsoft
- Amazon Web Services
- Meta
- Dropbox
Go – Performance and Simplicity from Google
Go, also known as Golang, is a programming language created by Google that combines performance with simplicity, thus reflecting the search engine giant’s philosophy of creating new technological solutions.
This solution combines performance and simplicity, making it an attractive choice for developers who want to create fast and efficient applications. Its advantages, such as built-in concurrency support, strong typing, and an active community, make it a language that is gaining popularity in various IT sectors.
How does Go support concurrent programming?
Golang supports concurrent programming exceptionally well, making it a popular choice for server applications and distributed systems.
This is because of key features, which include:
- Goroutines – goroutines are the basic mechanism that allows functions to run in the background. Thanks to lightweight threads that are managed by the Go runtime, developers can easily and quickly create parallel operations. Goroutines are efficient and allow thousands of processes to run simultaneously without significant system overhead.
- Channels – channels in Go are used to communicate between goroutines. They allow data transfer and synchronization of the activities of different goroutines. Developers can create channels to transfer data and use them to synchronize activities, which reduces the risk of errors related to accessing shared resources. Channels are typed, which increases security.
- Select Statement – the select statement allows you to wait for various operations on channels. It allows you to respond to events from multiple channels asynchronously, which is extremely useful when your application needs to handle multiple data sources or events simultaneously.
- Built-in synchronizers – Go offers various synchronization mechanisms, such as Mutex, that allow you to control access to shared resources. With these tools, developers can avoid problems such as data races and deadlocks.
- Memory management – Go’s garbage collector simplifies memory management, eliminating many of the problems associated with manual memory management, which is especially important in concurrent programming, where improper memory management can lead to bugs.
What projects has Go been used in?
Go has been used in many significant projects and products, especially in the context of web applications, distributed systems, and development tools. The most popular examples include:
- Docker – a platform for building, running, and managing containers.
- Kubernetes – a container orchestration system that automates the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications.
- Terraform – a tool for automating infrastructure management as code, which allows you to define infrastructure in configuration files.
- Prometheus – a monitoring and metrics collection system that has become part of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) ecosystem.
The use of the Go programming language in such large, important, and popular projects demonstrates its versatility and effectiveness in building modern applications.
Other new programming languages
Of course, Rust and Go are not the only new programming languages. There are also other solutions on the market, including Kotlin, Swift, Julia, TypeScript, and Dart. What makes these solutions stand out?
What makes Kotlin stand out from other languages?
Kotlin is a modern programming language that has gained popularity, especially in the case of creating mobile applications for the most popular operating system in the world – Android.
Kotlin stands out from other languages thanks to its interoperability with Java, concise syntax, optional type system, higher-order functions, support for coroutines, and the ability to share code between platforms. These features make Kotlin not only a modern but also a practical choice for modern programmers.
Why is TypeScript gaining popularity?
TypeScript is a programming language created by Microsoft that is also a superset of JavaScript, combining the advantages of JavaScript with modern programming features.
TypeScript is gaining popularity due to its static typing, interoperability with JavaScript, support for modern features, integration with popular frameworks, and a strong community. Its advantages make it an attractive choice for developers building complex web applications.
What are the advantages of programming in Swift?
Swift is a modern programming language created by Apple, which allows for easy construction of applications for the ecosystem of the giant from Cupertino. Swift allows for the creation of applications for operating systems such as iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS or macOS.
Swift offers many advantages, such as type safety, modern syntax, efficiency, interoperability with Objective-C and support for functional programming. Thanks to its active community and regular updates, Swift is becoming an increasingly popular choice for developers of applications for Apple platforms.
Apple’s solution is also often the first choice when starting an adventure with programming and learning it from scratch. This language is increasingly used in schools, and learning can be done via the Swift Playgrounds application – a dedicated tool and educational environment for programming.
How does Dart support cross-platform app development?
Dart is another programming language created by Google. It is gaining popularity due to the presence of the Flutter framework, which makes it easy to create cross-platform apps.
Dart supports the development of cross-platform apps by allowing you to write a single code base, offering features like hot reload and native code performance.
With the Flutter framework, developers can create efficient, visually appealing, responsive apps that work on multiple platforms without the need for code duplication.
Why is Julia attractive to scientists?
Julia, as a specialized programming language, is becoming popular in scientific circles – and especially in data analysis, scientific computing, and mathematical modeling.
This solution is gaining popularity due to its high performance, concise syntax that is easy to learn, interactivity, support for parallel programming, a rich ecosystem of libraries allowing for high customization, and interoperability.
How are new programming languages impacting the IT industry?
New programming languages are having a significant impact on the IT industry, contributing to increased software performance, security, and stability, promoting functional programming, improving interoperability, and supporting the development of innovative tools and ecosystems. These changes have long-term implications for how we develop and maintain software in today’s technological world.
What are the predictions for the future of new programming languages?
The development of new programming languages in the near future is inevitable, and their importance will systematically grow with the spread of new technological solutions based largely on artificial intelligence on the market.
The most important market trends in the development of new programming languages include:
- The growing popularity of functional languages
- The development of specialized languages
- Increased integration with cloud platforms
- The rapid development of tools and frameworks
- The progress of automation and the use of artificial intelligence
Forecasts regarding the future of new programming languages suggest that their popularity and importance in the IT industry will continue to grow. The growing importance of functional languages, the development of specialized tools, increased integration with cloud technology, and further process automation are key trends that may shape the future of programming.