The realm of technology is one that is always shifting. It is a market that is primarily characterized by how rapidly its trends come and go. And while the uninitiated may view this volatility as a negative, the volatile and ever-changing nature of the tech industry is actually what keeps everybody on their toes and keeps pushing for advancements.
The nature of the industry also ensures that nobody stays on top forever. This is important for existing businesses and would-be startups to keep in mind, because it encourages business owners to create strategies and design the best tech products possible to stay ahead of the competition. So, with that said, what exactly are the tech trends to keep an eye on?
Machine Learning
It’s not a surprise to find machine learning on our list of what to watch for in 2020, because everyone in the tech industry is talking about it. The concept of being able to create intelligence is exciting, but the true value of doing so lies in the ability to automate tasks in order to improve our productivity. Machine learning is the most important component of creating intelligence and this is also what’s going to pave the way for other technological advancements.
5G Cellular Networks
While it may not sound like much to the average person, a 5G network is what’s going to support our IoT-enabled devices as well as the immense amount of information that these devices will be transmitting to each other. 5G networks are faster, more stable, and more capable of handling a larger number of devices than previous iterations of the technology.
Virtual And Augmented Reality
While these technologies may have been around for a while, there are still many uses that have yet to be discovered, especially when you consider that there are new technologies coming soon. The internet of things, machine learning, and 5G cellular networks will undoubtedly bring new possibilities to the tech industry. They may even breathe new life into old technologies by creating new uses for existing technology.
The Internet of Things
Another disruptive piece of technology that is likely to propel technology to new heights comes in the form of the internet of things, a concept where almost every device is able to communicate and interact with one another to achieve a particular goal. Like machine learning, an IoT platform is going to function as the backbone for future technologies.
It’s also for this reason that programmers need to prepare for it’s full implementation.
How Is The IoT Going To Affect The Coding Industry?
The primary thing to note is that businesses are constantly looking for ways to personalize their interactions with their target audience. The ultimate aim of the Internet of Things is to satisfy a customer’s goals and to make life significantly more convenient by enabling devices to communicate with each other to provide a more streamlined user experience.
This means that software development is going to take a finer focus on front-end interface like cameras and sensors. This will enable devices to gather data from a user’s environment, as well as focus on a back-end interface that will store the data collected by the device’s camera and sensors.
With this in mind, what are the programming languages that you need to focus on in order to capitalize on this looming tech trend?
Well, the answer varies depending on the type of device you’re going to be programming. There isn’t a single universal coding language that’s going to function for all types of devices. In fact, there are several viable programming languages. However, some languages are more ideal than others, and the top three IoT programming languages are C, Java, and Python. Here’s why:
C.
C is a common language for microcontroller programming. The fact that C doesn’t require a lot of processing power and that it is also able to work directly with RAM makes it ideal for writing low-level code. It is best used for programming sensors and hardware layer devices but it’s important to have a profound understanding of the language because its syntax can easily become cluttered and messy if the programmer doesn’t observe best practices.
Java
Java is the most widely-used programming language because of how easy it is to deploy and its ability to transfer the code to most chips via a Java Virtual Machine code. So, any device that has a JVM can make effective use of Java. Some prime examples of these devices are smartphones and servers, which are both essential components of any IoT network. The best thing about Java is that it has built-in functions that are useful for IoT applications and it is also very portable because it doesn’t have hardware limitations.
Python
The third programming language that you need to focus on is Python because it comes with repositories full of useful tools. This particular programming language can do more tasks with fewer lines of code. Because of this, the syntax is clean and compact, which makes it more readable. These traits and characteristics are what make Python an ideal programming language for handling and organizing complex data streams without the need to maintain codebases that are just as complex.
This is an important detail to take note of considering that the Internet of Things functions by transmitting a lot of data between devices in a single network connection. Programmers who are experts in Python are going to play a vital role in creating codes for efficient data transmission and organization.
It’s an exciting time to be a tech enthusiast. The world is on the verge of some major tech changes and with these changes come new opportunities. Those who are able to keep their eyes on what’s happening in the tech industry are those who will be most likely able to innovate, after all.
