JavaScript has become ubiquitous in the world of web development. It is a programming language that is constantly evolving, with new features and libraries being developed every year. The State of JavaScript Survey is an annual survey that aims to provide a snapshot of the current state of the language, the libraries and tools used, and the trends in usage.
The 2022 survey has been released a few months ago already, and in this insight, our experts will be discussing key findings along with their views and expectations for 2023.
Summary
From Wonder Woman to Wonder Code
Caroline | Full-Stack Developer – React & Symfony – 4 years of XP
In the State of JS 2022, it is observed that the male gender is predominant in the use of the language. Out of 39,471 respondents who participated in the survey, 70.1% were men and only 4% were women. As a woman, I am shocked to see this significant gap and I want to highlight the potential that women can bring to this field.
During the four years I have worked with JavaScript, I have noticed how this programming language is often misunderstood and unloved. Many are discouraged by its coding complexity and the difficulty in creating sophisticated animations, such as smooth transitions when clicking an anchor leading to several further down sections. As a woman, I appreciate complex challenges and find beauty in the simplicity of this language.
Initially, JavaScript was a simple programming language, with loops, arrays, and basic variables that allowed for creating models and redirecting pages to other places. Many still struggle with these basic features. However, it is important to know that JavaScript is simply a tree, with several branches that grow from each other, etc. It is easy to understand, but many programmers, both men and women, tend to go too fast and code in their own way, making them forget the fundamentals.
For these reasons, women should no longer be afraid to enter the computer field. They should discover this fascinating world that is the DOM (Document Object Model = The three) and, thanks to their more analytical and complex approach, solve problems in JavaScript. During my four years of work, I have met amazing, intelligent, and talented women who could conquer the world with their analytical minds and mastery of JavaScript, a practical and simple language if well understood and mastered.
It is time for women to no longer be afraid of JavaScript or computer science in general.
New features & evolution of old frameworks
Ameni | Frontend Developer – Angular – 5 years of XP
Frameworks, at the initial phase, have increased users’ satisfaction. To stay relevant, frameworks implement several kinds of new features then they become bloated and complex. Therefore, it happens that developers stop liking them and switch to new frameworks. React keeps its users’ satisfaction but Angular has gradually decreased. As an Angular developer, I am waiting for some news from the Angular team, which can be the new version with the new function ‘signals’ that will significantly improve the developer and user experience of Angular applications. It will be an indispensable part of Angular.
On the other hand, new frameworks like Svelte, Solid, and Vite have high user satisfaction. As an Angular developer, I am so curious about the new framework VITE. It was created by the same creator of Vue. The experience Feedback is translated into a high satisfaction rate of 98 for VITE.
JavaScript is not only for frontend frameworks; Backend frameworks keep involved. Express.js and nest.js have continuous improvement and user satisfaction. I had a short experience with nest.js with angular as Full stack profile and it looks really great stack.
JavaScript and its Frameworks, a continuous r.evolution
Rémy | Frontend Developer – React – 7 years of XP
First of all, I’m pleased to see React is still the leader frontend library in terms of usage as I wish to continue working with it for many years. We will see if the improving performances and the new documentation will catch excitement again this year.
I’m also hyped by the continuous improvements from the Next.js team as I use it for my portfolio website. Their impressive work helped them reach the highest usage while keeping developer’s interest. I definitely expect this trend to continue.
Even if I’m working mainly with React and plain JavaScript, I must say I’m getting curious about Svelte and Solid. I hope I’ll be able to test those out at some point, we will see where they go in 2023, especially Solid.
As a self-learner, I am always curious about how people get started with learning to code, and I am really glad to see so many people benefiting from free resources to do so. I remember having used many of those in my early days (mostly freecodecamp.org and openclassrooms.com) and whenever I can, I try to give back via comments, posts, or open source.
Last but not least, I did not find a section about AI; however, I think it will come next year in the survey because AI is booming. We have seen the rise of Github Copilot and more recently the inevitable ChatGPT. I can’t wait to see how AI will evolve in 2023!
How Self-Learning and JavaScript can open doors
Arda | Software Developer – TypeScript / Angular – 4 years of XP
First of all, I’m a self-taught developer and so are most people. We can see that 21% of tech enthusiasts have no degree and 56.4 % are self-directed learning. What does this mean? It means that 35.4% of people who have a degree still learn by themselves. You want to get into the tech world? Just do it, you don’t need a degree if you don’t want to build rockets.
Secondly, you want to invest your time in stable, popular and saleable technologies? Pick JavaScript, TypeScript, React, Next.js and Jest. With some pet projects, you are good-to go to send your CV to mid-to large size organizations (with your GitHub Contributions skyrocketing the chart, of course).
Last but not least, I would like to emphasize that we humans are curious. And JavaScript and its ecosystem are the ideal entry point if you like to explore new ways of doing things. Don’t be intimidated by all the buzz words. Just understand very well the basic concepts of programming and with time it will be like you have superpowers.
JavaScript is More AI Oriented Than Ever Before
Hamza | Full-Stack Developer – JS & Python – 7 years of XP
On my side, I will have a more AI-oriented opinion.
JavaScript, as a language, has been gaining increasing traction in the world of AI and web/mobile development due to its ease of use and versatility. Many popular machine learning frameworks such as TensorFlow.js, Brain.js, and ml5.js are built on top of JavaScript, allowing developers to leverage the language’s strengths to build sophisticated AI models.
Moreover, with the increasing adoption of web technologies, JavaScript has become more relevant than ever, making it easier for developers to create AI applications that can be easily integrated into web-based platforms. The future of developers in the world of AI looks bright as there is a growing demand for professionals with expertise in AI and JavaScript. Developers with a strong foundation in JavaScript can leverage their skills to build intelligent systems and provide innovative solutions that can help businesses solve complex problems. As AI continues to become more mainstream, we can expect JavaScript to play an increasingly critical role in the development of AI applications.
That said, as a Developer nowadays, it’s a must stepping out of your comfort zone and learn new skills and ways to design, build and implement digital solutions, to keep up with the change in the upcoming years, as most of developer basic tasks will be easily handled by AI!
Conclusion
In conclusion, JavaScript continues to dominate the world of web development, with new libraries, frameworks, tools and trends emerging every year. Our experts’ views covered the role of women in tech, enthusiasm regarding growing and maturing libraries, support of self-teaching and free resources, the importance of adaptability and their passion about AI. We can say that 2023 is by far a JS year, full of opportunities for developers, businesses and companies, who strive for efficiency, speed, and innovation.
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