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Like it or not, 2020 is just around the corner, bringing a lot of new technologies, trends, and approaches to the world of software development. Because of the speed at which some of them are rising right now, it is highly likely that some of these trends will explode and become standards in 2020.

Over In the past years, the world of data management has undergone unprecedented change and is about to see another revolution in mobile communications. Internet of Things (IoT) and system intelligence is expected to accelerate and kick in high gear over the next 10 years.

All this means developers are under the gun to keep their skills important in a world where the PC, or even the cell phone, is no longer the center of the virtual universe. While keeping up with the latest programming languages and techniques is always wise, coders should also keep up with the many new tools that help make their creations relevant to new generations of users. The following are some of the five programming tools for 2020 and beyond.

1. Natural language processing

NLP makes it easier for non-technical users to navigate their way through complex processes from chatbots to personal digital assistants. We can expect software and services incorporating NLP to break away from traditional non-verbal offers in a number of key areas in both the consumer and professional spheres.

For example, a voice-driven user interface removes the clicking, pressing and sliding that currently powers most applications and services, making it much easier to search menus and access data that would otherwise be inaccessible to all but the most advanced users.

Toolkits such as Python's NLTK enable programmers to quickly integrate NLP into digital products, but programmers are now responsible for advancing their skills before the full rush to the verbal UI begins. By the middle of the decade or earlier, expect NLP to become omnipresent in everything from business and consumer technology, autonomous vehicles, retail and restaurant kiosks and apps all over the home.

2. Authentication

Passwords are becoming increasingly ineffective in protecting confidential information as unsettling as it might sound. They are not only vulnerable to sophisticated hacking tools. Some of which are now enhanced by artificial intelligence and even quantum computing- but they are burdensome for the user and result in unnecessary complexity in the data environment and even in the application itself.

But as software engineers have recently noted on Level Up, a plethora of new types of authentication, such as biometrics, facial recognition, and voice processing, are already on the market. Users are already used to accessing their smartphones with a thumbprint or just a fast facial scan, so it won't be long before they get angry about digiting just to get into it.

So it won't be long before they get upset about digiting just to get into key financial or productivity apps. Moreover, code will need additional verification technologies as well as deployment and integration through third-party products to make the successful use of these new automation tools.

3. GraphQL

GraphQL pulls all relevant data from multiple sites with a single request. It only peaks relevant data, no overtaking. This reduces latency and makes the app or service much more responsive to the user, especially as data requests will skyrocket due to the expected increase in autonomous services in the coming years.

GraphQL also requires less coding than REST, enabling complex queries with a few simple lines, and a number of Backend as a Service offers have already been supplied that make it easier to implement across a wide range of programming languages.

4. 5 G

Although most applicable to the development of mobile apps, 5 G connectivity will have an impact on traditional software, web development, embedded systems and almost everything else. After all, everything is linked in the IoT, and software that does not exploit high-speed wireless resources to its full potential is likely to fall into obsolescence.

In a recent interview with Digital Trends, 5 G will deliver lower latency, higher bandwidth, faster data sharing, and speeds up to 10 times faster than existing wireless technology," not only improving the performance of existing services, but also creating a completely new digital ecosystem with a unique collection of new services that can not be delivered.

This light will require programmers not only to incorporate the right APIs to take advantage of 5 G, but also to devise creative new ways of changing their programming styles in order to deliver compelling use cases that will distinguish their products from the crowd.

5. Low / No code

All code should be as effective as possible, but the fact remains that many programs are entirely written from scratch, which means that programmers often create functions that already exist elsewhere. By providing preconfigured code that can be embedded in larger programs, the low / no-code movement seeks to correct this overlap.

This enables even non-programmers to quickly and easily create complex products under a building block paradigm, cutting costs and bringing development to the speed of the modern digital ecosystem.

Existing no / low-code functions are already being implemented in back-office systems, web portals, mobile applications, and other regions with ready-made tools managing everything from sorting and searching to import, export, and workflow logic.

Going forward

Going forward, life appears to be less complicated for today's programmer, even as it becomes more challenging. The pace of development is likely to accelerate, but easier to use because of numerous available tools to do the job. Ultimately, this should result in the world heading into a new digital age being a vibrant and more rewarding industry.

Final verdict

Given the speed with which today's technologies and trends are rising, it's only natural that 2020 will be more than just these five trends. These will certainly be the stars for next year, however, as they are not only promising technologies but tools that already find their place in the modern world.

Most of them are among us, but there is still space for them to rise. What brings them all together is that they are going to define the software development future for 2020 and beyond. This is because teams in the production of technology will need to learn how to handle these innovations and follow their rise to industry standards.