What are the most used languages in bioinformatics?

Answer 1

@Elliot The link describes that both Perl and C++ are crucial to the field. There is no such thing as a definite answer to the "most used" programming language in bioinformatics - We don't always go with solely a single language to do everything. Given the comparison between number of lines, speed and how both Perl and C++ appeals to learners, the article would suggest that one start with C++ before moving to Perl.

Answer 2

http://www.molecularecologist.com/2012/11/a-comparison-of-bioinformatics-programming-languages/

Answer 3

I think Perl

Answer 4

I have seen some tutorials/courses about Python in bioinformatics (and courses were good, but those are not in English sorry). I myself while learning some Python using those sources reminded (myself) /remembered some names: A T C G... :-) (Should have noticed it when watched a movie "G.A.T.T.A.C.A." forgot it for many years after have studied it in school in 90-ies)
Update: looked at the link and it's perhaps an information from year 2012. I feel that Perl is fading out slowly and Python rises (I admit it even if I don't like Python a little bit) and in 2012 Python was at lower level (of "popularity") of course. So I think it's important to consider would you
be working with a lot of legacy code (it was happenning often in science earlier, but may be nowadays it [tools, infrastructure etc] changes faster too) or
would you be working with newer researches with younger staff, scientists, coders. (It's just IMHO 'cause I'm unfortunately not really in science 😩😥 [especially not in biology or bioinformatics])

Answer 5

R, Python, and bash
In summary, for wet-lab people who want to add bioinformatics to their toolbox, focus on learning R first and applying it to your own work. For people who want to focus on bioinformatics as a career and make their own tools too, I would actually recommend learning the trifecta of R, Python, and Bash, though you could get away with choosing between R and Python as long as you still learn Bash too. I can go into more depth on any of these topics or give an introduction to any of these languages if you let me know in the comments.
Other programming languages
There are many other languages out there, so before I end here I’m going to give a brief reason why these are not recommended for bioinformatics, beginners, or anyone at all in some cases.
C and C++
C or C++ are great for making super optimized command-line tools like aligners and variant-callers, but you will have a much easier time learning Python first and then going to these high-performance languages for a particular problem in the future, since they are harder to learn, more finicky, and take a lot more code to do the same thing.
Perl
Perl is still what a lot of people use, but it is fading out of use because Python accomplishes the same tasks and is easier to write code for, especially for beginners.
Ruby
Ruby is one of those hot languages right now, for good reason largely because of the power of Ruby on Rails for making database-driven web applications like blogs or twitter. Ruby however is not great for bioinformatics because it lacks the community support in terms of packages that R and Python have, so you would be better off learning Python instead of Ruby.
https://crbtech.in/programmes/clinical-research-training-programme

Answer 6

I can also use google. I know that link. It had no definite answers though. I'm looking for opinions