Stop Killing Frameworks and Languages
The Real Reasons Companies Stick With “Old” Tech
Every now and then, I see a post on social media or a blog post about a framework or language that is “dead” or “dying”.
Many times, it is based on some new framework that is gaining popularity or some new technology that is being hyped. Or some new language that is being introduced.
But many times, when you look at the numbers or the usage, it is still being used by a lot of people and companies. Even some companies actively maintain it and use it in production.
There are many reasons why some frameworks/languages refuse to die, even if they are not the most popular or the most modern.
Here are some of them:
- they are just popular and have a lot of users
- they are stable, battle-tested, and have a lot of features
- there are a lot of sources and documentation available
- the main one: businesses are using them, and they are making money out of them
It is fully understandable, if you are a developer, you want to use the latest and greatest technology, but you need to understand that not every company can afford to switch to the latest framework or technology.
Moreover, it is sometimes even preferred to use stable and battle-tested technology, rather than the latest and greatest.
You do not want to experiment in the field of finance, healthcare, or other critical areas.
If you want to get only one thing from this article, it is this:
Stop killing frameworks and languages just because they are not the latest or the most popular or you do not like them for some reason. If they are maintained and people use it, it has its purpose.
I encourage everyone to review the repository activity, including the number of contributors, issues, pull requests, stars, and downloads, before declaring something dead.
Here are some examples
There are plenty of frameworks in many languages, but most of the software and the internet are built on top of C, C++, C#, PHP (yes, a large chunk of the internet is PHP), Java, Python and JavaScript. They are still the top choice for many companies and developers.
C# and WPF
C# and WPF are still used in many enterprise applications since 2006. There are newer frameworks, which Microsoft is pushing, like WinUI or MAUI.
I see it at large companies, where they are using C# to create desktop applications for corporate or state institutions.
However, Microsoft is still actively maintaining WPF, and it is still being used in many applications and companies. It is stable, feature-full and has a lot of sources and documentation available.
Java, Kotlin and Spring
Kotlin takes a lot of spotlight, since it is the preferred way to develop Android applications, and it is also interoperable with Java.
Personally, when I wrote first class to Kotlin, I have never looked back, but my bias aside.
When you look at the most backend applications, they are still written in Java with some parts in Kotlin sometimes. Most of the companies in the Fortune 500 are still using Java as their main backend language.
Spring has been around for a long time, since 2003, and there are many alternatives, but it is still the most popular framework for Java. It is stable, feature-full and has a lot of sources and documentation available.
Python and Django
Python is one of the most popular languages because it enables you to do a lot of things with very little code. I am not worried at all here.
Django is a framework created in 2005. It has been here for more than 20 years, but the concept of the batteries included is making it a formidable choice for many developers. You can still add as many features as you want.
Personally, I incline to use FastAPI for its simplicity, but I can see reasons to use Django as it comes with all implementations out of the box.
Smaller number of commits does not mean that the framework is dead. It can mean that it is stable and does not need a lot of changes.
Moreover, there are many apps and frameworks built for Django itself, so this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Flutter is Dead
Yes, Flutter is relatively new among this group. However, every time I hear “Flutter is dead” and get a coin, I would be rich.
Yes, I could be biased, since I am a Flutter developer.
But looking at the numbers, I think it is clear.
This is an image taken from the GitHub repository of Flutter. It is still being actively developed and maintained. There are more commits than ever, and the number of contributors is also growing.
When you have many users, you have a lot of issues and pull requests.
Conclusion
We could be here for many more hours if we wanted to go through every framework and language, but I think you get the point.
Before making any conclusions about the framework or language, I encourage you to look at the numbers and the activity of the repository.
Just because the framework or language is not the latest or the most popular, it does not mean that it is dead or dying.
Creation of new frameworks and languages is as essential as the maintenance of the existing ones. They all have their purpose and place in the ecosystem.
If people decide to abandon them, you will not see posts about them. So any scream about the framework or language being dead is just noise.
Without any official announcement from the maintainers, it is just speculation and should be taken with a grain of salt.
If you enjoyed the article, don’t forget to follow me for more.
