Go

Go, also called Golang, is a programming language developed by Google that is open-source, compiled, and statically typed. Its design prioritises simplicity, efficiency, readability, and high performance. 

Go or Golang

The programming language known as Go or Golang may confuse some people. However, Golang is just another name for Go; the official name will continue to be Go. 

Where did Golang come from?

Go is also commonly referred to as Golang due to its previous domain name, Golang.org. The use of the name Golang has become popular and convenient as it is more easily discoverable on search engines like Google. This makes it easier for developers and learners to find information and resources about the language. However, it's worth noting that the official name of the language remains Go.

The History of Go

Go was born out of the need to solve software engineering problems at Google and provide a viable alternative to C++. With the increasing popularity of multi-core processors, a language with higher productivity was necessary.

The developers' goal was to make a language that was easier to use but still had valuable features in other languages like C++, Python, and JavaScript. By 2008, the language began to take shape, and it was publicly announced in 2009 after the prototype stage was completed. In the same year, Go also became an open-source project. Version 1.0 was eventually released in 2012.

Over time, new updates and features have been added, such as the inclusion of generics and error handling in 2018. 

Who uses Go?

It's not just Google that uses Go - the language has become increasingly popular in recent years and is now widely adopted by many prominent organisations. These include companies such as PayPal, American Express, Twitter, Meta, Microsoft, and Netflix, to name a few. But the list doesn't stop there, as many more businesses and developers have also turned to Go for its simplicity, efficiency, and high performance.

What is Go used for?

Originally, Go was developed to create programs related to networking and infrastructure. It was designed to substitute powerful server-side languages such as Java and C++. Today, Go has a much more comprehensive range of applications, including:

• Creation of cloud-based or server-side applications

• Automation of DevOps and site reliability tasks

• Development of many command-line tools

• Usage in the fields of artificial intelligence and data science

• Microcontroller programming, robotics, and gaming

Despite these different applications, Go stands out most as a strong performer in infrastructure-related tasks.

Hello World!

"Hello, World!" is one of the most well-known pieces of code, and for many software developers, it's even the first thing they learn to write in a particular language. In Go, that piece of code looks like this:

import "fmt" 

func main() { 
    fmt.Println("Hello, World!") 
}