What is Google Go? And, Should You Be Using It?
August 04, 2015
A few years ago, Google took a chance to fix their internal software issues and came up with what other companies are starting to see as a fresh, new programming language. Google Go is an open source programming language developed by Google in 2009. Go, as it is commonly referred to, targets complex, system-level programming. The main goal of Google Go is to make it easy to build simple, reliable and efficient software.
In terms of how it operates, Go is typed in with syntax and combines the performance and security benefits associated with the use of compiled language with the speed of a dynamic language used for programming. It’s built with concurrency and garbage collection capabilities. Many users of Google Go see it as efficient, scalable and productive. Go combines speed and performance, two essential aspects of a programming language. While Go is made for complex systems, its usage and language is anything but complex! One of the features of Google Go that makes it so appealing to other companies is its user-friendliness. Go is easy to use and install applications on and easy to pick up. Developers can read and understand Google Go as a programming language in as little as two hours. It’s easy to see why this new language can be quite appealing!
Although, it is still in the infancy stage as a new programming language, Go is backed and funded by Google, so it has major support and a big potential for growth. Google Go is multi-platform and portable, which are important features in a new programming language. It can run on just about everything from Windows to Linux. Other big organizations have already seen the potential and easily accessible features of Google Go. It is being used by BBC, SoundCloud, Facebook and the UK government, just to name a few key users.
You may ask yourself, if Google Go is so efficient and user-friendly, why isn’t everyone using it? There are a variety of programming languages available, some that have been commonly used for quite a long time, such as Java. Software developers often find a program language they know and trust and stick to that one. While developers can be set in their ways, this makes it difficult for new programming languages to take off. There are many programming languages out there, but due to Google Go’s fast and friendly capabilities, more companies are seeing the value in trying different programming languages!
What do you think about Google Go? Do you think this will become a mainstream programming language?
Posted By: Marlene Laus