Annotated Bibliography

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302

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Computer Science

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Dec 6, 2023

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Elias Mukhtarzada Professor Miscavige ENGH 302-M06 Analyzing the Pros and Cons of Popular Programming Languages: Which Language will be the Future of Programming? In Information Technology, programming is an increasingly growing career for many people looking to pursue an occupation in the vast global job market. There are numerous programming languages out in the world for any newcomer to learn, but the most prominent languages that usually come to mind are C, Python, Java, and etcetera. The reason as to why programming languages like these are important is because a lot of the software that we take advantage of on any device we have access to on a daily basis is most likely programmed using these languages. In addition, the idea of programming itself in the information technology field allows for endless opportunities for computers to automatically and efficiently complete tasks. Most students who are looking forward to a career in programming may have their first taste of any of these languages in introductory programming courses in college. Regardless of what language programmers opt to learn and continue with as a profession some languages will stand the test of time for years to come, and some might fade into irrelevancy depending on the future trends in the programming scene. However, with everything being said, every language has their own set of advantages and disadvantages, and many people certainly have their own preferences based on their experience and comfortability. The intention of this literature review is to simply provide as much appropriate information to hopefully find some answer to the research question that is being posed. The research question in this instance is “What will be the programming

language of the future and what are the advantages and disadvantages of current popular programming languages?” When it comes down to tackling the literature review, the plan is to start off with the introductory paragraph as always, and then I will continue with the first programming language, or first subtopic that I plan to discuss which is Python. With Python, the objective for me is to start off by discussing in a short, but descriptive manner as to why it is one of the most popular and in demand languages out there in the Information Technology field. I may also provide some information on a few perks that are associated with Python including how it is open source, and how it is used in data science. According to Aaquib Javed, and other Bangali students of North South University, Python is one of the most popular languages in data science because it offers a multitude of frameworks such as PyMySQL for example (Javed et al., 2019, pg. 461). Then, I will go over as much of the advantages that I can list for Python as well as the disadvantages. For Python I may also explore a tiny bit of the academic statistics for students enrolled in introductory college Python classes where I may bring up average test scores, overall scores, and things of that nature. According to Jacques Wainer, and Eduardo C. Xavier, both of whom attend the University of Campinas in Brazil, Python is the current dominant programming language in intro level courses for universities in the United States, but worldwide surveys aren’t quite sure (Wainer & Xavier, 2018, pg. 12:1). The purpose of the inclusion of these sources into my research is to determine if Python may be the programming language of the future. So far, it looks as if it is The next subtopic that I plan to cover involves C. Just like with Python I will go over the significance of C in terms of what it is capable of, and how it functions. For example, I may briefly touch on how it is used in conflation with Linux and Linux courses at universities. Based

on an article written by Saverio Perugini and Brandon M. Williams, C has been commonly used in conjunction with Linux in various undergrad Computer Science and Information Technology classes for nearly three decades in the University of Dayton (Perugini & Williams, 2020, pg. 933). Just like with Python, I will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of C to the best of my ability. According to Xinyu Fu and his colleagues from Kyushu University in Japan, C is one of the initial languages taught to students in programming courses, but it is a complex language to learn for some students which may result in frequent syntax logic errors (Fu et al., 2017, pg. 1). Lastly, I will incorporate academic scores in data found in any of the articles to see the rate of the students that have success with it in classes in comparison to Python. In the end, with all the information given about C maybe it could take the crown of the programming language of the future, but so far in my research that may not be the case. The audience of this literature review who I hope to connect with as I do my best to answer the research question is mainly the young adult demographic interested in programming as a career in life. The reason why this is the group that I hope to cater to, and why I am writing this paper is because I can identify with this demographic myself, and I think it is a great necessity to inform this intended audience to help them make their own decision on what language they want to learn based on the described pros and cons. Speaking as a young adult who is studying Information Technology in college, it is important for people in this point of their life to figure out what occupation they want to go into while carrying the knowledge and skills that they obtained in their major. For your general audience of people who are not looking into IT as a career, or for people who want to learn how to program for fun, it is always great to learn new and unfamiliar skills. However, people who are serious about this as a career could benefit from the information in the literature review.

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APA Annotated Bibliography Fu, X., Shimada, A., Ogata, H., Taniguchi, Y., & Suehiro, D. (2017). Real-time learning analytics for C programming language courses. Proceedings of the Seventh International Learning Analytics & Knowledge Conference . https://doi.org/10.1145/3027385.3027407 This article by Xinyu Fu is about a certain number of universities out there that require students in an Information Technology program or Computer Science program at universities to enroll in C programming courses. However, this article explains how students tend to struggle due to the difficulty factor, which results in some colleges noticing a huge dropout rate for students in these classes or in the program altogether. The reason for the difficulty within these courses is because of the student’s inability to comprehend the syntax of C which can lead to them making coding errors to further add confusion, and some instructors just cannot apply any valuable teaching methods that could actually help students. The intention of the authors of this article is to discuss tools and methods that could be used to improve the way C classes are instructed, and to identify areas within C to help make these courses more simplistic for novice programming students. The name of the tool that can help professors teach C to students while aiding them to identify syntax error more easily is called LAPLE (Learning Analytics in Programming Language Education). The author and his companions try to prove the relevancy of LAPLE by incorporating visuals and figures of a dashboard that professors may use to monitor student’s strength and weaknesses with C coding concepts. I believe that this article that I found in the library databases can be effective towards my literature review simply because it helps me recognize the various flaws with C as a

programming language when I eventually compare it to Python. However, it may also be used in C’s favor as well because of the mention of LAPLE and its capabilities that could help teachers make an improved effort to effectively instruct the class which may end up leading students to better comprehend the language as well as master it. The strength of this article would be that it provides input on the disadvantages of C as a language being taught to students and its areas of potential improvement. Because this article prioritizes information regarding C, there is no reference to the pros and cons of other languages in programming, namely Python. Javed, A., Zaman, M., Uddin, M. M., & Nusrat, T. (2019). An Analysis on Python Programming Language Demand and Its Recent Trend in Bangladesh. Proceedings of the 2019 8th International Conference on Computing and Pattern Recognition . https://doi.org/10.1145/3373509.3373540 The main point that this article tries interject is that out of all the popular languages many programmers in Bangali universities pursue Python as their go to language despite over 80% of students being exposed to C/C++ as their first language in a survey. The reason for many students opting for Python is because it is a multi-purpose programming language with easy to use and easy to understand syntax. It is also a machine learning language that can accomplish complicated tasks in a single line of code for most instances. The article supports the idea that Python is the most popular language among programmers in Bangladesh when compared to other languages by discussing all the sectors in which Python is incorporated and for what purposes. The author uses numerous examples of Python’s significance and he addresses its advantages, disadvantages, and future implications. The authors in the article are culminating as much information in regards to Python programming to demonstrate why it is a leading

contender in the programming language market in Bangladesh and why it is a suitable choice for programmers in any given scenario that it is used. This article contributes to my research question and how I want to answer it by providing as much detail on the many pros and cons of Python when compared to other languages, namely C. If possible, I might be able to have a lengthy paragraph or two about Python with a good majority of information coming from the authors of this article, but it is always encouraging to find out more information about Python in additional articles as well. To be frank, it is difficult to name a single disadvantage that comes with utilizing this article because it has what I want to address with Python for my literature review. As for advantages, this article is filled to the brim with information regarding Python that I described above. This article is effective in helping engage my audience because it mostly bases some of its information on the young adult college student demographic interested in programming. The only downside that one can come up with is that it can be hard to decide which piece of content in the author’s article you would like to incorporate, or reference into your paper because you can only have so much relevant information without making it stuffed with those that might be unnecessary. Perugini, S., & Williams, B. M. (2020). C + Go = An Alternate Approach Toward the Linux Programming Course. Proceedings of the 51st ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education . https://doi.org/10.1145/3328778.3366944 This article is about the utilization of Go programming in a Linux course at the University of Dayton when compared to C. The reason why C initially played a vital role in Linux was because Linux is often written in C, but the article also makes a point in mentioning that the

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integration of C with Linux can result in complexities that students may not understand, but to resolve this the authors devised a plan to use a programming language referred to as Go in to help students achieve success in finally understanding Linux. The article supports this thesis by offering a list of several advantages of the Go programming language in comparison to C and how Go can be beneficial for students in a Linux course. The authors also make an effort to support the articles main idea by doing a survey on seventy students in the University of Dayton taking Linux along with incorporating four of ten programming assignments in Linux. In the article itself you can see several tables that compare student’s performance on homework assignments that require C and Go respectively throughout a multitude of semesters. The consensus as a result is that more students deem C as a less worthwhile option to Go in Linux programming because of C’s various shortcomings. The purpose of the authors involved in this piece was to show and prove that Go is a more consistent language in comparison to C in regards to how it applies itself to Linux and how students fare with it. This source may be handy to my literature review simply due to it providing more drawbacks to C programming language especially in a unique scenario where it is compared to another language called Go through the conversation of Linux. I may make a point in my paper that has some reference to Linux and the language Go, but the two prominent languages that I am mainly comparing are Python and C. The advantage that this article gives me is that it allows me to learn about C in the context of how it is used with Linux, and I did not realize how handy this article was until I continued to read it because I was hesitant about the relevancy of this article to my topic. On the downside, this article may not have much in terms of the advantages of C.

Wainer, J., & Xavier, E. C. (2018). A Controlled Experiment on Python vs C for an Introductory Programming Course. ACM Transactions on Computing Education , 18 (3), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1145/3152894 The authors of this source are Jacques Wainer and Eduardo C. Xavier of the University of Campinas, Brazil. The article itself involves some experimentation that compares beginner's courses for programming languages, specifically those of C and Python. The objective was to find out which programming courses that teach a particular language yields higher student performance during labs, quizzes, exams, and in grades overall by assigning three instructors to teach Python, or C to a class of students for two semesters. In the end the authors found that Python ultimately came out on top in student results. The purpose of the article is to determine which programming language is more suitable for students at an introductory level based on student scores in Python and C. To keep track of data the article provided the information by including statistical equations to find the standard deviation, the 95% confidence interval, and p- value for example. This article can be beneficial to me as I write my literature review because of the narrative behind the experiment, the data, and the resulting outcome which will help me on my quest to answer part of the research question of what is the programming language of the future between C and Python. The article also helps the intended audience connect given that this is a study conducted on college student's performance in programming and since that is pretty much my target age demographic, I think this source will prove valuable. The one disadvantage that one can pinpoint with this article would be that it mainly compares the student performances in courses where these languages are taught, and there is not much information in regards to the programming languages respective features and abilities.

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