Software development is complex and constantly evolving. Every day new techniques, processes, and systems are invented to take software to the next level. As a result, development teams are working hard to keep up and ensure they’re using the best resources and materials available to them.
Whether you’re looking for a software development company with the right knowledge or your own team is trying to stay up to date, it’s good to understand the fundamental technologies of software development.
With these tools in your kit, you can avoid coding horror stories and ensure your team is equipped to build a successful, efficient software engineering project from web development to custom desktop software.
POPULAR Programming Languages EXPLAINED
In software development, all applications and systems are built using programming languages. These programming languages are considered formal languages that are made up of strings, and these strings produce various types of machine output.
By using programming languages, software developers can give computers instructions for what they should be doing and when. There are many different types of programming languages, but let’s cover some of the most popular options.
Python
Python is one of the most popular programming languages, given that it is versatile and made for general-purpose programming. Because of its wide range of uses, software engineers in a variety of fields take advantage of Python, and it’s often one of the first languages that software engineers learn.
Python is most commonly used in software engineering for developing websites and software, task automation, data analysis, and data visualization.
Java
Java is another simple, efficient language that’s often used from the beginning of a software developer’s career. It is class-based and object-oriented, and it’s designed to have as few implementation dependencies as possible. Java is mostly used for internet-based applications, but it can be used for many projects, including mobile applications, software development, and enterprise systems development.
C++
One of the most powerful programming languages available in software engineering is C++, making it a popular and necessary choice in a wide range of industries. It’s often used in software that requires a lot of graphics. As a result, C++ is often used in virtual reality, software and game development, robotics, and scientific computing.
HTML
HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language. While there’s some controversy as to whether or not HTML is a programming language, there’s no question that it’s a popular and necessary tool in software engineering.
HTML is the standard language for documents that are displayed in a web browser. Essentially, it is a system that tags text files to achieve font, color, graphic, and hyperlink effects on the internet. As a result, software engineers use HTML exclusively in web development and design.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a branch of computer science that focuses on building machines and programs that are able to perform tasks that usually require human intelligence. This branch of computer science uses computers and machines to imitate the human mind’s ability to problem solve and make decisions.
Artificial intelligence is often associated with developing any system that uses the intellectual process of humans, such as reasoning, discovering meaning, generalizing, or learning from past experience. The main goal of AI is to create technology that makes human lives easier by automating tasks that would usually require human bodies and minds.
Machine Learning
Machine learning is a subset of artificial intelligence. As the name suggests, it allows machines to learn from data and information without being programmed explicitly. While AI includes the broad, generalized science of imitating human capabilities, machine learning specifically focuses on training machines how to learn.
The field of data science relies heavily on machine learning, using it to make classifications and predictions and uncover key insights in data mining projects. As a result, insights from machine learning often drive decision making in applications and businesses.
Natural Language Processing
Natural language processing is another branch of artificial intelligence. Unlike machine learning, which focuses on learning and decision making, natural language processing focuses on giving computers the ability to understand text and spoken language. Natural language processing allows computers to process the human language in the form of text or voice data; as a result, it can understand its meaning, including the writer’s intent and sentiment.
Natural language processing is used in programs that translate text from one language to another, respond to spoken commands, and summarize large volumes of text rapidly—even in real time. In fact, you probably use many examples of natural language processing in your everyday lives, which we’ll talk about next.
Examples of AI
While artificial intelligence often brings to mind thoughts of robots and science fiction movies, it’s actually found in many of the applications we use every day.
Speech Recognition
First, there’s speech recognition technology. Software engineers use natural language processing, a branch of artificial intelligence we discussed earlier, to process human speech into a written format. For example, you can ask Siri what the weather is like outside or command Alexa to turn your lights on. They will take your speech and turn it into actionable processes.
Computer Vision
There’s also a type of artificial intelligence called computer vision. Computer vision allows computers and other systems to gain meaningful information from images, videos, and other visual inputs. Then, using those inputs, they can take action. Computer vision is used in technology such as photo tagging on social media platforms and self-driving cars.
Customer Service
Have you ever logged into your credit card provider’s website looking for information, only to find a chat box ready and waiting to answer your questions? Well, most of the time, that’s not an actual employee answering your messages. Instead, it’s a conversational bot that’s using artificial intelligence software to accurately and quickly answer your questions based on previous knowledge, customer information, and frequently asked questions.
Recommendation Engines
By using previous behavior data, artificial intelligence algorithms can help a system identify data trends for software users. These trends can be used to develop effective cross-selling strategies in retail or can be used to offer recommendations to users in other applications.
For example, have you ever thought about why your Netflix recommendations are different from your friends’? Or how Amazon recommends new products for you every time you log in? Or how your exercise apps offer personalized tips and tricks based on your experience level and past history? These programs use AI to pinpoint your preferences and goals and make suggestions accordingly.
Advantages of MODERN Software Development Technologies
We’ve only discussed some of the basic, most widely-used software development technologies available. There are countless possibilities when it comes to the world of software engineering, from flexible, powerful programming languages to cutting-edge thought processes and systems like artificial intelligence.
Why is all of this important? Your custom software is only as great as the technology you use to build it. If your software development company uses a rudimentary, restricted programming language, your software will never be able to reach its maximum potential.
If you aren’t taking advantage of the most modern technologies, your software development process will take longer and require more resources. Plus, you’ll be missing out on capabilities available to teams who are taking advantage of breakthroughs in the field of software engineering.
The world of software engineering is constantly evolving, and to stay at the top of the industry, you must stay up-to-date on the latest technologies. If you’re looking for a software development consulting partner to help you stay at the top, reach out to Geneca today to see what we can do for you.