How to use the TIOBE Index as a research and planning tool
This one will be quick, but I think it is essential. If you didn’t know, there is an index out there that ranks current programming languages against industry usage trends and search engine statistics. Let’s check out the actual index itself, which can be found here.
So, how is the information valuable to you? Well, if you’re a programmer, it gives you a pretty good idea of which languages are actively being searched for, which also implies a level of activity and usage in the community. If you’re just starting out, that equates to a pretty reliable map on where to devote your time and effort. If you’re an employer or business owner, it offers a decently reliable metric on where the industry is going, what kind of talent pool is available, and most importantly which platform seems to have the most activity, which helps product planning.
As with any tool, the data is what you make it; Thinking it is a silver bullet is a mistake. It does, however, do a lot of the legwork in broadly capturing industry trends and valuable inferences can be made using the available data. Hopefully this resource helps!
