Today’s Developer Listens to Electronic Music and You?
Gosia Podzorska · 01.10.2018
Do you know what ‘typical developers’ listen to when coding? Have you ever wondered what time they go to sleep, if they’re addicted to coffee or tea like the English or if they’re more inclined to use Android phones rather than iPhones?
No one likes making sweeping generalizations. Everyone is unique and it would be quite unfair to stereotype computer coding wizards by putting them all in the same category. We shouldn’t assume that every developer is Gilfoyle’s doppelganger from Silicon Valley!
Nevertheless, wouldn’t it be cool to know what the majority of developers are into in 2018? What programming language they use the most, what music they listen to and what video games they play in their spare time?
JetBrains released their annual report about the state of the Developer Ecosystem in 2018. 6K responses were taken into account, however, more than double were collected in the first place. Developers were asked all sorts of questions from, ‘Which mobile operating systems do you develop for’ to, ‘Do you prefer tea or coffee’.
The most compelling takeaways? Check them out below!
The Main Demographics - Who & Where
JetBrains surveyed 15K developers from 17 different countries (from far-flung Argentina, Brazil all the way to China, Japan & South Korea). Nearly half were between 21 - 29 and 30% between 30 and 39 years of age.
The survey was conducted in 6 different languages to ensure the data was more robust. 66% of programmers were in full employment and 15% were students. Only 7% were freelancers and 5% self-employed.
Programming Languages To Keep Close Tabs On in 2018
Which programming language is THE most popular among the developers in 2018? It’s…Java.
- Java has maintaned the top spot in the world rankings for good couple of years now, hence it’s not a coincidence that here at Kodilla, we teach Java, specifically Java 8. Programmers that are strong in Java are literally bombarded with job offers - told us Marcin Kosedowski from Kodilla.com.
JavaScript took second spot as it was most used overall and Go took to the podium as the most promising programming language. What’s interesting is that nothing has changed in that regard in the past 12 months.
When it comes to the frequency of use, developers labelled Java, JavaScript & Python as the three primary programming languages where Java was on top and Python in the third place, clearly gaining more popularity in recent years.
What’s crucial for Kodilla’s students is that a whopping 84% of respondents pointed out they use Java 8 most regularly. Java 7 is the second go-to option where Java 6 & 7 lost its fame completely, slowly going out of use.
What can you do with Java? Plenty! From Desktop GUI Applications to SIM cards, utility meters, and apps for Android that are usually created with Java using Android Software Development Kit.
Web Frameworks, IDE Editors or Lightweight Desktop Editors?
Web frameworks emerged in the late 1990s and were literally a saviour in the world of programming, introducing much-needed automation. It’s a software tool with built-in libraries and database access that makes it way easier to build and run web applications. You can pick one that is ideal for your needs or mix and merge several, which will entirely depend on the task at hand.
Out of 6K responses, nearly half of developers mentioned they use Spring MVC & Spring Boot the most, whereas 7% work on Struts 2 and 6% are fans of JSF. What really jumps out in the report is that developers are moving away from web frameworks! The number of Java developers that aren’t using any frameworks at all has increased by 7% compared to 2017.
When it comes to IDEs / Editors IntelliJ IDEA went to the top and is used by more than half of developers. 17% use Eclipse or Eclipse-based and 11% use Android Studio.
The Most Popular Tools For 2018 Coding Whizz
When you become an accomplished developer you’ll know a myriad of different tools & programs like the back of your hand. Curious which are the most popular in the coding world in 2018?
IDE wins the top spot. Put in simple terms, IDE is a software suite that enables to write and test software.
Second place goes to Source code collaboration tools like GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Lightweight Desktop Editors take the third most popular spot with programs like Sublime Text, Atom, Visual Studio Code.
Key Facts? Developers prefer IDEs rather than Lightweight Desktop Editors as 82% claim to use IDEs and only 69% use editors. Developers love customizing their IDEs (only 12% are not willing to make an effort to custom-tailor their integrated development environments).
Another interesting tidbit is that the in-cloud IDEs and editors are still not that popular! Only 8% claim to use them regularly.
Fun Facts, Music - What Do Developers Listen to?
Do you put a favourite playlist on when coding? Or you feel totally distracted and can’t listen to any noise when programming?
Music seems to play quite a big part in developers’ world as 77% of programmers say they listen to music when coding, only 23% prefer to program in silence.
The most popular music genre? Electronic wins with 37%, followed by Pop 32%, Rock 29%, Classical 28% and Heavy Metal 17%.
Are Developers Hooked on Video Games?
In last year’s report, JetBrains asked the programming buffs if they played video games. I don’t think it would surprise anyone that more than half replied ‘Yes, of course!’ when 35% claimed that they do not, shocker ;).
Which games were the most popular among coding geniuses? Apparently, C developers are totally into hardcore games where a massive 73% of C# developers are hooked on playing video games. Freelancers and students adore action-adventures while full-time programmers would rather play Strategy and Simulation games.
Do Developers Get Enough of Precious Zs?
When you’re a coder you have to come to terms with the fact that you’ll be staying up late, quite late at first, armed with unlimited access to cups of coffee to energize your tired brain cells. The question is how long do programmers sleep on average every night? The majority, 53% to be exact, sleep around 7-8 hours whereas 35% devote 5 to 6 hours to sleep. Only around 6% enjoy sleeping more than 8 hours and 2% claim ‘I don’t sleep at all…’.
Coding at Starbuck, in the Office or at Home?
Coding at the office seems to be more popular while 31% claim they work mostly at home. It’s quite clear that those that work independently on projects work remotely, while those that work in a team usually do it from the office. 2% of developers say they mostly work at cafés, surely they need that good quality caffeine on tap.
One last crucial question that JetBrains asked the participants was ‘Do you code on Weekends?’. The answer was….yes by a landslide (85%) where only 15% said no! It shows the dedication and passion of today's developers and the speed of change in the IT world. There is always something new to learn, sometimes playing a catch-up game with the latest breakthroughs in the tech and online sphere. You’ll never be bored when you enter the world of programming, the IT industry advances so quickly that there’s always something exciting to explore!
Check out our infographic below and take the aptitude test to see if you can become the next programming rockstar ;)
