Hi everyone!   

Today we want to talk about two on-demand languages for both developers and companies around the world, Python and JavaScript. How to choose one? Hard to answer, right? Well, although there is no definitive answer, we can talk about the pros, cons, and projections of each language (2021).  

We are aware that programming is the possibility of transforming an idea into something real that impacts millions of people. And, currently, many programming languages make that process of writing code real, but clearly, some are more popular than others, in this case, Python and JavaScript.  

So, let’s check the following information!  

Python vs. JavaScript — About the languages  

Python is an object-oriented programming language. This is the kind of coding language that allows programmers to build apps and websites using objects that are nothing but virtual building blocks. An object-oriented paradigm is to design the program using classes and objects. The object is related to real-world entities such as a book, house, pencil, etc. The oops concept focuses on writing the reusable code. This model allows reducing complexity by giving programmers a clear structure and a more real-world dynamic.  

JavaScript, on the other hand, is a scripting language. In other words, it makes things easier for users by automating website and app processes. JavaScript initially emerged as a front-end language to provide browsers with dynamic functionality that simply wasn’t possible with just HTML and CSS.  

After Node.js emerged as a backend language in 2009, the popularity of JavaScript shot up as developers could use JavaScript to program both the front-end and the server-side.  

Now, let’s jump on JavaScript Pros  

• JavaScript is probably the most powerful language. Why? Because it’s the language of the web, which gives it completely unparalleled reach and portability. It’s also quite fast and reasonably sophisticated. This means you can create an extensive range of applications with it (web pages, interactive offline apps, 3d animations, and games) that you can easily transfer to any platform. Hard to beat that.  
  

• The most significant advantage to JavaScript is having the ability to support all modern browsers and producing an equivalent result. 

• JavaScript is sleek, simple, and refined, without complicated classes and templating syntaxes or extensive pragmas and configuration options. It’s a language that is easy for both programmer and computer to work with.  

• JavaScript is optimized and runs faster than other languages. Hash tables (as dictionaries) are available as basic types and are widely used, making JavaScript code simple and fast.  

• There are many open-source projects that provide valuable help at the developer’s add JavaScript.  

• It is almost impossible to find your way around any application nowadays without the heavy usage of JavaScript in some way or another. Don’t just take our word for it. In the 2020 Developer Survey, done by Stack Overflow, JavaScript came out on top of popularity.  

Python Pros 

• Python has a shorter learning curve. On this count, it scores far better than JavaScript. It is designed to be as beginner-friendly as possible and uses simple variables and functions.

• It doesn’t take much effort to write and maintain asynchronous code using Python, as there are no deadlocks, research contention, or other confusing issues. Each unit of that code runs separately, allowing you to handle various situations and problems more quickly.  

• Python has many libraries for scientific computing, data analytics, and machine learning, whereas JavaScript does not.  

• Python is great for prototyping. You can do more with less code, which means you can prototype and test ideas much faster in Python than in other languages. This means that using Python not only saves a lot of time but also reduces your business costs.  

• According to Jean Francois Puget, a representative of IBM’s machine learning department,

“Python is the top language for ML and AI projects, and many developers agree. Python has efficient ML packages, tools for visualizing results, and goes way beyond data analysis and other features that benefit this area of application.”

Furthermore… in the Stack Overflow survey, Python leads the ranking on the most wanted programming languages.   

Now… let’s go with the cons or disadvantages of each language!   

JavaScript Cons  

• The main problem or disadvantage in JavaScript is that the code is always visible to everyone, which means others may use it for malicious purposes. These practices may include using the source code without authentication. Also, it is very easy to place some code into the site that compromises data security over the website.

• JavaScript is usually interpreted differently by different browsers. This makes it somewhat complex to read and write cross-browser code.

• This point applies to larger front-end projects. The configuration is often a tedious task to the number of tools that require to figure together to make an environment for such a project. This is often directly associated with the library’s operation.

• JavaScript only supports single inheritance and not multiple inheritance. Some programs may require this object-oriented language characteristic.

Python cons  

• Python is not the best for mobile development. It has some frameworks like Kivy and Beeware to do mobile application development. However, there are better choices available, like Java and Kotlin (for Android) and Swift (for iOS).

• Multiprocessing is an essential part of writing an application. Python does support multiprocessing, although it might not be as flexible or convenient as other languages. This can create certain limitations when you’re writing the code.

• You should take into consideration that Python’s memory consumption is very high. For that reason, it might not be the best choice for memory-intensive tasks. It might be problematic when a significant number of objects are active in RAM.

• Python is slow. Like, really slow. On average, you’ll need about 2–10 times longer to complete a task with Python than with any other language.

What do we think the future looks like?  

Although the future can be variable about Python and JavaScript, we can foresee that the technologies used in the coming years will be oriented to Machine Learning. AI and ML are no longer ready to change the world one day; it’s changing the world now.

We all know that Python is excellent if we do data analysis, machine learning, or math-intensive operations. Python is currently the leader in popularity for implementing ML. But how long will this trend continue?

Today, some languages could take the lead in this regard in the future and could fix weak Python patches, such as Rust, Go, and Julia.

While JavaScript can vary in popularity, its applications will continue to be geared towards web development. And unless a zombie apocalypse occurs or a more powerful language arrives (which we don’t think is likely to happen), JavaScript will remain the leader in web development.

In the end, the future will speak about Python and JavaScript, and we only recommend keeping track of trends in technology and learning more than one programming language so that you can be ready for change!

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