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Indicators like TIOBE are VERY lagging. Like 5-10 years



In my assessment, not really. They are surprisingly spot on (for the top spots and singling out contenders).

Not to mention the language landscape is almost static at the top. Nobody's gonna came and take Python, Java, C, C++, JS, out in the next 10-15 years...

Only a huge self-blunder, like the Perl 5 -> 6 transition, and only at much more volatile time (when paradigms change, e.g. when web dev changed from CGI, Perl 5 had already lost the web framework scene to PHP, Rails, Django and the like even before losing its main niche back then - admin work) can do any serious damage to a top language...

Anyway, let's check in 5 years...


Well, for instance, TIOBE has Rust at #34, below such mainstays as ABAP, COBOL, and Scratch. It has Groovy above Ruby.


Well, for instance, TIOBE has Rust at #34, below such mainstays as ABAP, COBOL

Do you believe that to be incorrect? I think you're probably underestimating how widely used those languages are in massive, "boring" companies around the world. Rust may be the new cool kid, and may even be the future, but the number of companies around the world that have adopted Rust for anything significant today is minuscule.

It has Groovy above Ruby.

Again, Java is everywhere, and many Java shops have added Groovy to their workflow where it makes sense. Ruby is barely used outside a small of number of tech companies.


Well, Rust is probably well under COBOL, that's for certain.

Not in momentum, but there are tons of installations, and billions of lines of code in COBOL ever churning. If LOC was the main criterium (and not just a factor), and if COBOL projects were hosted in GitHub, most languages with be dwarfed by it.

And Groovy is semi-popular in the Java world, which is huge itself.

But as I said, TIOBE is very good in the top-10 languages, and for spotting new major contenders (by how they jump up spots).

It's not great for relative ranking of the longer tail of languages above the top-10 / top-20...




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