O'Reilly Learning Technology Trends for 2024

O'Reilly has unveiled their insights on technological trends for 2024, derived from their learning platform data spanning January to November of 2022 and 2023. This analysis serves as a predictive tool for future trends, based on the learning patterns of developers.

Key Takeaways:

Software Development Trends:

• General decline in software development interest, particularly in software architecture and design.
• Notable 8.9% growth in enterprise architecture and a 40% surge in event-driven architecture usage.
• Microservices popularity decreased by 20%, with a shift towards monolithic structures observed.
• A 16% decrease in interest in design patterns.

Programming Language Preferences:

• Python continues to lead, while Java and JavaScript saw reductions of 14% and 3.9%, respectively.
• TypeScript usage grew by 5.6%, indicating a potential trend shift.
• C++ saw an unexpected 10% increase, with Rust's usage up by 7.8%.

Artificial Intelligence Evolution:

• Significant rises in interest for NLP (195%), generative models (900%), and Transformers (325%).
• The emergence of prompt engineering, matching Transformers in its growth trajectory.
• Deep learning and reinforcement learning expanded by 19% and 15%, respectively, with PyTorch and MLOps also seeing notable increases.

Data Handling Shifts:

• Slight 3.6% dip in data engineering, though it remains popular.
• Decreases in Kafka and Spark usage contrast with upticks in Microsoft Power BI and SQL Server.
• Data mesh content usage rose by 5.6%, despite an 18% decline in data warehouses.

DevOps and Cloud Computing Fluctuations:

• Minor decreases in Linux, Kubernetes, Docker, DevOps, and SRE usage.
• Cloud computing sees a 175% jump in Cloud Native applications, with increases in cloud security and IAM.
• Hybrid cloud usage up by 145%, while AWS grows slightly, and Azure and Google Cloud see significant reductions.

Web Development Dynamics:

• Steady interest in React, despite a minor decline.
• Variability in Angular and Vue usage, with Vue showing a 28% increase.
• Trends in Django and PHP rising, with WebAssembly and Blazor seeing downturns, indicating evolving web development preferences.

These insights from O'Reilly offer a window into the evolving preferences and shifts within the technology landscape, guiding professionals and learners in their skill development and organizational strategy planning.