First released as an open source programming language in 2009, Go has had its ups and downs over the past 15 years.
Although Go was only released in November 2009, interest in it grew so much that it was named the 2009 programming language of the year by the TIOBE index, a title given to the language that has the highest increase in ranking within a year.
In just two months, Go shot into the top 20 of the Languages of the Year rankings, which measure the popularity of a language by the frequency with which it is searched for on more than 20 search platforms.
The years since have been a rollercoaster ride for Go. It ended up outside the top 50 in the TIOBE index, but its comeback in 2016 saw it named Language of the Year for the second time.
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This year, it has stayed in the top 10 for several months. And with the US National Security Agency advising developers to switch from C and C++ to more memory-safe programming languages like Go, its position among the top programming languages is likely to be secure.
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In fact, the intention when it was developed at Google was to offer a simpler, more modern alternative to C and C++ for systems programming. And while those languages still have more to offer in terms of control over hardware, Go offers simpler concurrency as well as safer memory management.
Strengths and skills
Go shares Python's strengths of simplicity and readability, but unlike Python, it is statically typed, similar to Java. And while Java has long been a mainstay for developers with its mature libraries and frameworks, Go is a strong challenger with workarounds for many of Java's complexities, such as the need for a virtual machine, and better support for concurrency.
However, the two do not have to be considered rivals, as both Go and Java serve different purposes and can even coexist in projects.
Go also has a robust standard library that simplifies routine development. And the simplicity of the language makes it easier for newcomers to learn. Some have learned the basics in a matter of hours—though it could be said that, like the Chinese strategy game of the same name, its flexibility and potential mean it takes only moments to learn but a lifetime to master.
And because Go is open source and has an active community, it is continually improved and responsive to developers' needs. Go was designed from the start to meet the modern development environment. In the most recent developer survey, 80% of respondents said they trust the Go team to do what's best for developers when it comes to maintaining and developing the language.
It's no surprise, then, that Go is at the forefront of modern software development in AI and ML (machine learning) applications. Python is already quite dominant in AI and ML, but Go's efficiency on large data sets shows potential here.
Go developer survey respondents indicated that Go is a strong platform for AI/ML applications and the majority either already use Go or want to migrate to Go for AI workloads and builds such as summarization tools, text generators, and chatbots.
Go is best suited for building applications and services that require scalability from the start. Its real strengths lie in developing cloud-native applications, but its lightweight features and concurrency also make Go attractive for microservices and infrastructure tooling.
Container orchestration tools like Kubernetes and Docker are both written in Go, which is popular for DevOps tools due to its speed, reliability, and ease of maintenance.
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Overall, the Go ecosystem is healthy, offering a large number of libraries and frameworks suitable for various development needs. The fact that it is easy to learn could increase its appeal as an added value to any developer's skillset. And developers seem to enjoy working with Go: the most recent developer survey recorded a 93% satisfaction rate.
It is seen by developers as the language for modern, cloud-based development, and although it has had a bumpy road, its place among the world's most popular programming languages may be secure for some time to come.
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