Everyone who codes has a favorite language. This happens a lot because we studied in a certain programming language, or we grasped it quickly, or it made things easier for us.

There are several reasons to having a preferred language. However, our language might become drab at times. It is no longer maintained by the firm that makes it, or people quit using it for some unexplained reason.

Other languages, such as C, which continues to be the most popular programming language in many circumstances, have withstood the test of time.

The point is that programming languages appear to have a life cycle, and the end appears to have arrived for some.

Here are several languages whose future appears to be bleak:

1. Visual Basic .NET

There used to be Visual Basic 6, but Microsoft appears to have wished to do rid with it and instead launched the VisualBasic .NET program. However, migrating everything to this new version of Visual Basic appears to be an excruciatingly tough operation.

This is notable because, in 1991, Microsoft enhanced the BASIC language by purchasing a graphic designer from Alan Cooper to include it into the language.

Cooper used another language at first, but Gates instructed him to change it to BASIC, which the former Microsoft CEO believed was the easiest language to learn.

As a result, Visual Basic was formed, ultimately including objects and sophisticated programming techniques.

But then something happened: Anders Hejlsberg, the man in charge of Delphi (at Borland), left the business to join Microsoft, where he started the C# project.

This language is similar to Java in many aspects, and after some time, C# became Microsoft’s new language standard. Simultaneously with the birth of C#, Microsoft programmers invented VisualBasic .NET, which has the same syntax as BASIC but the code mimics that of C#.

Both languages made their presence known, but C# appears to have won the popularity contest. For this reason, it appears that Visual Basic is condemned to extinction.

2. Delphi

Delphi, which is just Pascal plus Objects, is most likely on its way out. Embarcadero has attempted to support it, and new versions are still being released. Perhaps what transpired was a series of strategic blunders on Borland’s part.

For starters, they changed their name to Imprise for whatever reason. However, this did not work. They reverted to the previous moniker and abruptly separated their database tools from their programming tools.

The latter was renamed CodeGear, but for some reason, people began to suspect that something was wrong: so many name changes, so many strategy changes began to drive away its supporters.

It remains to be seen whether Embarcadero’s ongoing efforts can keep Delphi afloat, but it is evident that Delphi is losing favor in the programming world. Perhaps it’s time to switch to a different platform.

3. Perl

There was a time when everyone programmed in Perl, but then something occurred. Creators began to pile on more and more powerful features without understanding why. Perhaps this added to the complication.

Even its authors appear to have understood (implicitly) that something was wrong with Perl and opted to halt Perl6 development, which began in 2000! The point is that it appears that no one wants Perl any longer.

4. Adobe Flash

We’re not talking about languages here, but about platforms. The death knell for Adobe Flash was probably when Steve Jobs opted not to employ this language in Apple’s mobile devices (at Apple).

If one of the new platforms, such as the Apple tablet, does not support Flash apps, developers will be obliged to create them in Javascript, HTML5, or any other platform that Apple will approve. As a result, Flash, despite its continuous progress, began to fade. It is certainly fading today.

5. Ruby

Ruby was all the rage around 10 years ago. It gained an immediate following after its debut in 1995, and its devotees adored it (and probably still do). Those who grew up with C-like languages, on the other hand, appear to struggle with Ruby.

It is, without a question, a fantastic language, although one that moves slowly due to the fact that it is translated (an issue that strikes me because at this stage of the game making compilers for any language should not be a problem).

Twitter, for example, had many things built in Ruby but abandoned it due to inefficiency, and the day of this revelation was most likely the day when Ruby began to die.