September brought a major shakeup in the world of programming languages, with C dropping to fourth place on the TIOBE Programming Community Index. This marks a significant milestone as C has never ranked this low since the index’s inception in 2001.
From a high of 16.56% in December 2022, C has steadily declined, now standing at 8.89% in September. The TIOBE Programming Community Index serves as a barometer for programming language trends based on search engine volume.
But why did C’s popularity take a hit? According to TIOBE Software CEO Paul Jansen, the lack of object-oriented features in C makes maintaining large programs challenging. As embedded systems grow in functionality and code size, there is a shift towards using C++, which offers better support for complex projects.
Another factor that may have contributed to C’s decline is its designation as a memory-unsafe language by the U.S. government. Companies looking to adhere to memory-safe standards are opting for languages like Rust over C.
Despite these challenges, Jansen believes that C will remain in the top 10 of the TIOBE index for a long time due to its widespread use in safety-critical systems globally.
Other changes in the TIOBE Index in September
The reshuffling in the top three allowed Java to claim third place, with a jump from 9.16% in August to 9.45% in September. Fortran maintained its position in tenth place.
