TIOBE Releases its April 2010 Programming Index

The TIOBE Programming Community index, which tracks the popularity of programming languages released its April 2010 list and while there wasn't much of a shakeup in the top 10, C topped Java as the number one programming language, the first time in four years.

Outside of the 10 were only a few movers and shakers. Objective C, a language primarily used to develop for the iPhone's OS, went from number 42 last year to number 11. ActionScript, which is used in conjunction with flash, rose by three spots to number 19 and Google's Go language made its debut at 15.

The community index provides a snapshot for the month, but also helps document larger trends. It's no surprise that Objective C saw a bump, as the language has nothing but rise in popularity since the launch of the iPhone and now the iPad. Java continues its decline from the 26% share it held in 2001 and Go started strong after being introduced last year, but interest is slowly waning.

The TIOBE index is updated monthly with a mix of third party vendors, engineers and courses contributing to a language's overall rating. For the full list visit the TIOBE software index.