Dive Brief:
- With businesses showing preference for different programming languages, Stack Overflow is rolling out a new tool to illustrate programming trends based on the number of questions programmers ask each month on Stack Overflow.
- Normally, developers ask more than 8,000 questions about programming on Stack Overflow each month, the company reported. Using the tool, Stack Overflow found questions related to Python exceeded the number of questions for PHP in 2017. Questions about Perl, however, have declined since 2009.
- Interest based on the number of questions from developers isn’t necessarily perfect, said David Robinson, data scientist at Stack Overflow, in a blog. "Some technologies might inspire more questions among its users than others." But the tool does allow insight into the developer ecosystem and changes over time when it comes to programming languages. It also illustrates what developers are using and learning.
Dive Insight:
Stack Overflow Trends could help companies determine which technologies are on the rise and which are on the way out based on which questions programmers ask. That could come in handy when trying to predict changes in the world of programming or help organizations predict and prepare for shifts in the tech workforce.
Programing talent is increasingly critical as more companies take on digital transformation projects and tech becomes a bigger part of everyday work and interactions.
The hunt for programming talent therefore becomes more challenging each day. A tool that can report which programming languages are on the rise and which have fallen out of favor can help companies prepare for what comes next and ensure they have the talent they need in a given area.
