Apple's Swift Programming Language Surging in Popularity

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The rapidly increasing take-up of Apple's Swift programming language was confirmed again yesterday with the publication of a survey that ranks the popularity of programming languages.

In the latest TIOBE Index, Swift was ranked 10th, up four places from March 2016. As CultofMac notes, the nine programming languages ranked above it are at least two decades old, so breaking into the top 10 is a feat more impressive than it sounds. Swift was only introduced by Apple in 2014, replacing Objective-C as an easier-to-learn language.

Apple has promoted Swift as ideal for kids who are keen to code, with its gentle learning curve demonstrated in Swift Playgrounds, an app that teaches children how to use the language. Apple has been updating and refining Swift since its debut, and is set to unveil Swift 3.1 this spring.

The TIOBE Index is calculated using search engine data to approximate the popularity of programming languages within online coding communities. Earlier this year, a quarterly study revealed that Swift had become one of the most sought-after freelance developer skills among employers.

Tag: Swift

Top Rated Comments

Nozuka

49 months ago

Of course the one i hate the most is number 1.

Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)

gnasher729

I thought most iOS apps were made with Objective C. How can it be so far down on the list?

This is not statistics about iOS development, it is about _all_ development. And it is completely unspecified how these percentages are measured and what they mean.

Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Toutou

I'd say Java -- like that clean Java in your side project -- is a totally okay language. What makes the experience horrible is the enterprisey everengineered cluster**** where it mostly "shines".

Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Mr. Dee

I want to start learning Swift, since it seems like a clean slate (no coding experience all). Anybody know of a good step by step resource (not video based) I could follow?

djcerla

Wow... Assembly is at #13.

I remember writing assembly routines for my BASIC games for the ZX Spectrum when I was 12. I wasn't even aware it's still used today.

Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)