Java: My most familiar language. In my view, a rigorous industrial-grade product is far superior to amateurish, hastily conceived creations. Precisely because Java is an industrial language, it may feel verbose to write—but it has few weaknesses and minimal historical baggage. It’s strongly typed, object-oriented, highly readable, performant, boasts excellent backward compatibility across versions, and enjoys an incredibly rich ecosystem.

Kotlin: The language I consider closest to perfection—it’s essentially modern Java in my eyes. Concise, robust, fully interoperable with the Java ecosystem, Kotlin inherits nearly all of Java’s strengths while compiling not only to JVM bytecode but also to JavaScript and native binaries.

JavaScript: In many ways, JavaScript is almost the antithesis of Java. Despite its numerous historical quirks and legacy issues, it remains the undisputed king of the web. Beyond browsers, it now powers desktop apps, servers, mobile applications, and embedded scripting—making it arguably the most versatile language out there. Even for embedded scripting, I often prefer JavaScript over Lua simply because it’s likely the world’s most widely used and flexible language.

TypeScript: Designed as a typed superset of JavaScript to address JS’s shortcomings, TypeScript resonates with me deeply—especially its Java-like emphasis on strong typing and object-oriented principles. This greatly reduces reliance on mental memorization for type definitions and significantly boosts project maintainability. That said, its “type gymnastics” can be nightmarish for most developers—even more complex than Kotlin’s type system—and honestly, I still rely on LLMs to navigate its advanced generics confidently.

Python: Widely regarded as the epitome of elegance, Python’s magic lies in how its ecosystem and culture differ starkly from Java’s. Most Python libraries are remarkably beginner-friendly and intuitive, whereas Java’s configuration classes, factories, and framework integrations often overwhelm newcomers. Python truly shines in AI/ML, where its ecosystem dominates—and since I’ve recently focused heavily on AI-related work, I use Python constantly.

C#: Compared to C#, Java’s syntax feels almost overly simplistic. C# offers richer language features and, judged purely on linguistic merits, surpasses Java. Its biggest drawback? A comparatively weaker ecosystem—especially in open-source and cross-platform domains.

PHP: Often the most criticized language, burdened by decades of legacy issues. Yet thanks to Laravel, I’ve learned to appreciate PHP. It’s exceptionally efficient for building web backends—many features are baked directly into the language, making it purpose-built for server-side web development.