Packt survey finds Python is the most commonly used tool, while Splunk, Hadoop, and Kafka skills draw the highest pay Credit: Thinkstock Python, which was already surging in popularity among developers, has received another endorsement, getting the nod as the most popular tool in IT service provider Packt’s just-released developer survey. The language is used by nearly 20 percent of respondents, giving it the top spot. The report echoes Python’s high rankings in language popularity indexes from Tiobe, PyPL, and RedMonk, which all have the language finishing in their recent top five rankings. In addition, Packt found that Python has been boosting salaries of persons in administrative rolls and those working in infrastructure. “In a world where automation and speed are becoming essential to modern tech professionals and their organizations, Python sits very comfortably—and certainly makes you incredibly valuable.” The language has grown recently because of accessibility, a fully featured standard library, a rich ecosystem of libraries and frameworks, and an engaged community, Packt said. Packt’s 2017 Developer Skills and Salary Report was based on responses from 4,731 developers and technology professionals worldwide, who were polled in April and May. The top 10 ranking tools according to the report were as follows: Python programming language The Git software version control system Microsoft’s Visual Studio IDE Eclipse IDE Java programming language The Notepad++ code editor Linux R statistical language. Docker container system Microsoft Excel Other popular technologies cited by participants included JavaScript, the Android Studio IDE, Apple’s Xcode IDE, Google Chrome, and PHP. When it comes to tools people plan on learning in the next three months, the top tools cited included Docker, Python, the Angular framework, Visual Studio, and Jenkins, the automation server. Packt also polled on which tools skills were paying the best. The top three—Splunk, Kafka, and Hadoop—were data-related, with Splunk specialists earning a median salary of $100,000. The inclusion of the container orchestration tool Kubernetes and configuration management tool Chef revealed that management of software deployments is also a high-value area. Asked which trends they expect to have the biggest impact on businesses and consumers in the next 12 months, respondents cited cloud computing; big data, artificial intelligence, and machine learning; automation; and containerization. Software DevelopmentPythonJava