What programming language comes to mind first when Android app development is mentioned? Most likely, you will immediately think about Java. After all, it is in this language that a huge number of Android applications are written.
Developers around the world are still wondering if Kotlin has a future or not. But after introducing Kotlin into Google I / O two years ago, this language took its own place on the market for developing Android applications.
So here we have explanation why Kotlin is better than Java for programming apps.
What is Kotlin?
Kotlin is a programming language introduced by JetBrains in 2011, but in a certain sense it was established only in 2017 with the announcement at the Google developer conference.
Suddenly, in fact, this new programming language found itself to be the favorite of Google and of organizations like Uber, Evernote, Coursera and Pinterest.
Even today, Kotlin’s adoption rate does not diminish as companies continue to appreciate it.
The reason for this preference could be linked to the advantages of this programming language such as the stability of its architecture and its ability to interact and work with the same Java rival.
Why did Google choose the Kotlin?
Kotlin is the official programming language of Google. At this point, however, a question arises. Why did Google choose Kotlin? The reasons are different and fall within the advantages of the new programming language.
First of all it is necessary to specify that Kotlin is completely interoperable with Java. All this has a specific meaning.
Android app developers in fact have access to a series of Java libraries to write the code in Kotlin, but at the same time they can also generate Java code from Kotlin thanks to the use of converters from the JetBrains language development company.
Moreover, app developer Antonio Leiva offers free guide to learn Kotlin and therefore a company does not need to hire a new team to develop with Kotlin.
Kotlin’s functionality not only simplifies the life of Android app developers, but also has positive results on the overall user experience. And here you have reasons to switch from Java to Kotlin to create your apps …
1) Improved performance
Kotlin’s consistent and intuitive syntax provides increased productivity for development teams. It takes less time and fewer lines of code to write and deploy a program. As a result, you get the finished application faster.
2) 100% Java compatible
In other words, Java methods can be called from Kotlin. This is an advantage not only for developers, but also for companies with a large code base in Java.
3) Ease of support
Android developers can easily maintain Kotlin code, since this language is supported in many IDEs, including Android studio, and in several other SDKs. In addition, developers can work with any familiar set of tools.
4) Reliability
The latest version of Kotlin is backward compatible with all previous versions. This saves Android developers from the huge headache – working with different versions.
5) Ease of learning
Kotlin is easier to learn than Java, because it does not require any knowledge in the development of mobile applications.
5+1) Android Studio support
Android Studio provides extensive Kotlin support and customization tools. Developers can work simultaneously on Kotlin and Java.
Conclusion
If you are a developer, you should constantly update your skills in accordance with the latest trends. There is no doubt that Java retains its advantage in Android development, but the trends should be monitored. We hope that the advantages of Kotlin mentioned here will convince you to learn this language at least for the development of Android applications.
Leave a Reply