[comp.software-eng] Programming language usage?

freek@fwi.uva.nl (Freek Wiedijk) (03/11/90)

I often hear the following (mutually contradictory) statements

(a) The majority of all programs is *still* being written in COBOL.
(b) Nowadays, C is becoming the "lingua franca" of the programming
    community.

(and, from Bill Wolfe: (c) 50% of all programs are today being written
in Ada.   However, I don't believe him.  (The percentage is made-up; my
apologies to whoever may feel offended by this...))

How about some *numbers*, for instance the total number of
paid-programmer-hours in 1989 per language?  Or, the number of
selled-copies-of-a-program per language?  (Now, let's see, I'll sell
you 1,000,000 copies of "hello, world" for $1,00.  That will teach them
a lesson! :-))

Has *anyone* this kind of information?  Does it change rapidly?
Does anyone consider this kind of information to be important?

--
Freek "the Pistol Major" Wiedijk                  Path: uunet!fwi.uva.nl!freek
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