TIOBE: C++ overtakes Java in programming language popularity

According to the latest TIOBE Index, C++ has overtaken Java in programming language popularity.

The TIOBE Index uses searches across 25 different engines to calculate the popularity of Turing-complete languages. The methodology used for the index has regularly been criticised but it suffices as a rough guide.

Java has been a mainstay in the top three programming languages since the TIOBE Index launched in 2001. However, that impressive streak came to an end this...

PyPI maintainers warn of ongoing phishing attack

The maintainers of the Python Package Index (PyPI) have warned of an ongoing phishing attack targeting users.

“Today we received reports of a phishing campaign targeting PyPI users. This is the first known phishing attack against PyPI,” wrote the maintainers in a tweet.

A phishing email is sent to users warning that PyPI is implementing a mandatory ‘validation’ process and that users must follow a link or risk their package being removed:

The...

PyPI package installs cryptominer on Linux systems

A malicious PyPI package was used to install a Monero cryptominer on Linux systems.

The package in question, secretslib, was pushed to the official third-party software repo for Python on 6th August 2022. The package was described as “secrets matching and verification made easy”.

Sonatype’s automated malware detection system flagged secretslib as potentially malicious. Further analysis proved its suspicions to be correct.

“The package covertly runs...

Snowflake boosts native python support and data access

A green tree python.

Snowflake, the Data Cloud company, has unveiled new enhancements that improve programmability for data scientists, data engineers, and application developers

The company announced the update this week at its annual user conference, Snowflake Summit 2022, in Las Vegas.

Snowflake’s latest innovations bring Python to the forefront, with the launch of Snowpark for Python, now in public preview, and a native integration with Streamlit for rapid application development and...

These programming languages were most in-demand in 2021

Coding Dojo has released its annual review of the programming language skills most sought after from employers.

For its research, Coding Dojo scours jobs listing site Indeed. The company looks at what languages appear most in job descriptions and compares their prevalence with previous years to identify trends that could give you an advantage.

Python retained its lead in 2021 as the language which cropped up in the most (~70,500) job descriptions. Rounding out the top...

State of Software Security v12: Don’t become complacent, but we’ve come a long way

Veracode’s latest State of Software Security report highlights that applications are, on average, more secure than ever.

Getting the negatives out the way first, the report warns about the devastating “domino effect” that one vulnerability can have on software across the globe.

One clear example of this in action was the SolarWinds attack in which hackers inserted malicious code into the company’s Orion software. Every company and organisation using Orion was...

Déjà vu: Python wins TIOBE Programming Language of the Year

According to TIOBE, Python was the programming language that stole developers’ hearts in 2021.

It’s the second time in a row that Python has been crowned the TIOBE Programming Language of the Year.

Last month, TIOBE Software CEO Paul Jansen floated the possibility that C# may take the crown for the first time after posting the highest rating growth (+2.21%) in the top 20 of the TIOBE Index in December.

"It is interesting to note that C# has never won the...

2021 Stack Overflow Survey: React.js takes the web framework crown, Python is in-demand, and devs still love Rust

The 2021 edition of Stack Overflow’s developer survey features both substantial changes in the landscape while other elements have remained stubbornly resilient.

In a blog post, Stack Overflow’s Ben Popper and David Gibson wrote:

“This year’s survey was a little different than ones in years past. We opened our 2020 survey in February, and by the time we got around to publishing the results, the reality of work and daily life had shifted dramatically for people...

Google announces raft of Play Store security policy updates

Google has announced a number of changes to its Play Store security policies that will come into effect over the coming year.

Starting in September, a new section will be added to Google’s Enforcement policy that will mean inactive or otherwise abandoned developer accounts will be closed after one year of dormancy.

October will see various policies introduced on different dates.

On 15 October, the Device and Network Abuse policy will be clarified to prohibit...

Python’s creator shares his thoughts on Rust, Go, Julia, and TypeScript

Python creator Guido van Rossum has shared his thoughts on some of those other programming languages making the rounds.

The “benevolent dictator” himself shared his views in an hour-long interview with Microsoft Principal Cloud Advocate Manager Francesca Lazzeri.

“I love languages, at least in theory,” says Van Rossum. “I always read language tutorials but I’m very bad at actually sort of downloading a language implementation and try to code something because...