Python could soon be the most popular programming language, battling it out for top spot with JavaScript, Java and C, depending on which language ranking you look at.

“It is likely that it is Python’s next step to become the most popular programming language ever,” wrote TIOBE Software CEO Paul Jansen in the monthly release of the TIOBE Index.

The Traditional Role of Python Just as open-source development revolutionized SQL, it also rejuvenated programming languages that work with data.

While Python is IEEE's lead programming language, the spotlight is on SQL, which leads the organization's jobs rankings.