As the world advances rapidly, nearly everything is directly or indirectly dependent on technology. Most of these technologies rely on programming. With the evolution of programming languages receiving a significant boost, several programming languages have become widely and frequently used, such as JavaScript, Python, Java, C#, etc. While these programming languages are well-known and commonly used in our daily lives, some programming languages have fallen out of favor in recent trends. Let’s take a look at the top 10 least-used programming languages in today’s world:
1. Matlab
Matlab, released in the late 1970s, was a popular programming language at that time for newcomers entering the job market who wanted to conduct research in areas like machine control testing and the development of supervisory logic. However, it had certain drawbacks. Matlab was not a free programming language like Java or Python, making it less accessible to individuals and smaller organizations. This limited its usage due to cost constraints. Additionally, Matlab lacked basic programming functions, which made it challenging for users to write code that was both readable and easy to understand. Lastly, one of the major reasons for the declining use of Matlab is its documentation, which poses difficulties for individuals trying to learn the programming language. This has led to its decreased relevance in today’s day-to-day activities.
2. Objective-C
Objective-C was initially chosen as Apple’s official programming language but was later replaced by Swift in 2014. However, Objective-C had several drawbacks. Firstly, its code was complex and difficult to understand, making it prone to errors. This complexity stemmed from its use of pointers, which introduced bugs and security vulnerabilities. Additionally, Objective-C lacked modern language capabilities, such as functional programming, which made it error-prone. Lastly, the language had a smaller community of developers compared to other languages like Swift, resulting in slower innovation and limited resources. In summary, Objective-C’s complexity, lack of modern features, and limited community made it a less popular choice for development.
3. F#
F# was introduced in 2005 and gained popularity but its usage declined after the introduction of C# due to some associated problems. One issue was that F# didn’t support function overloading, making it difficult to remember multiple functions with the same name. Another drawback was that F# lacked support for asynchronous code, unlike C#, which hindered multitasking abilities. Additionally, F# had a steeper learning curve compared to languages like C#, Java, and Python. The limited market adoption of F# potentially limited career opportunities for developers. In summary, the naming convention and lack of asynchronous code support in F# contributed to its decline in usage, while the popularity of languages like C#, Java, and Python further impacted its market presence.
4. VBA (Visual Basic For Applications)
Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) was introduced by Microsoft in 1993 to automate tasks in Microsoft Office. VBA’s major advantage was its ease of use in Excel, but it became its drawback as it restricted its use to specific domains and could not run on other environments outside of Excel. VBA’s ease of use for experienced Excel users made it difficult for beginners to learn. In today’s modern world, Microsoft Excel alone cannot provide comprehensive solutions. VBA’s limitations make it less useful for other applications, making it less popular for developers. In summary, VBA’s restrictions and limitations make it less effective in providing solutions outside of its intended use.
5. R
R was first introduced at the University of Auckland in 1993. R was introduced to meet the demands of statistical modeling and data visualization. It was an open-source programming language introduced by a community effort to make it more efficient. R comes with several drawbacks, with one of the major ones being scalability issues, as it struggles with large datasets, affecting its predictive abilities. R’s memory management is also problematic, particularly for visualizing larger datasets. Quality control for R projects has been inconsistent, making it challenging for newcomers to rely on documentation and carry out their work effectively.
6. Perl
Perl was a versatile programming language initially introduced in 1987, designed mainly for text processing and system administration tasks. It was also used in web development, scripting, and data processing, but it had some drawbacks. Firstly, Perl’s programming language has a very complex syntax that is dense and cryptic, making the code difficult to read and maintain. Secondly, Perl has some compatibility issues due to changes over the last few years, leading to potential compatibility issues for different versions of the programming language. Lastly, Perl cannot be easily used in a collaborative environment, making it difficult to work on projects compared to highly collaborative programming languages.
7. COBOL (Common Business-Oriented Language)
COBOL, introduced in 1959, is a very old programming language with outdated features and functionalities, making it less suitable for today’s day-to-day work. It has significant drawbacks, including its lack of modern features, making it incapable of providing the capabilities of modern programming languages. COBOL also struggles with real-time data processing, rendering it less suitable for contemporary needs. Additionally, years of modifications and updates have made COBOL code difficult to debug and maintain.
8. Erlang
Launched in the mid-1980s, Erlang programming language was used in telecommunications, web services, and real-time applications but had significant faults too. One of the main drawbacks of this programming language is that it does not adhere to the concept of Object-Oriented Programming (OOP), making it challenging for developers to write code efficiently and effectively. Another drawback is that Erlang does not support multicore processors, leading to CPU limitations in handling concurrent tasks. Lastly, the small size of the Erlang community makes the learning process slow and complex.
9. Groovy
Released in January 2004, Groovy is a dynamic programming language for the Java Virtual Machine (JVM), used in automation, web development, and data processing. Groovy has slower performance due to its dynamic typing, resulting in a slower execution speed of the programming language. Since Groovy is a dynamic language, it makes it difficult to find errors at compile time, potentially leading to various issues in code readability and understandability. Groovy’s dynamic nature also makes it challenging to transition to a statically typed language.
10. Haskell
Haskell was released in the 1980s and is a functional programming language that maintains a strong connection with functional programming principles. Haskell’s adherence to functional features makes it challenging to adapt to modern technological changes. Managing Haskell code is tough as it lacks support for modules, making it difficult for newcomers to work with Haskell code efficiently. These programming languages have faced various challenges and limitations that have contributed to their reduced usage in today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape.
