The Kotlin Phenomenon: Changing the Overview of Programming
The Java Virtual Machine (JVM) has been true to its promise for a considerable time, but the Java language seems to have its days numbered. That’s when Kotlin made an entry atop the JVM as a
suitable alternative to the old-school Java. Kotlin developed by JetBrains and endorsed by Google is an open-sourced programming language that brings the best of two worlds – functional and object-oriented- under a single roof outsmarting the very own Java 6. Since Kotlin’s first release, Google has fine-tuned its foundation to make it a dominant player in developing enterprise web and Android applications. In fact, Kotlin solves much of the problems unaddressed by Java. Although Java and Kotlin codes are remarkably similar, Kotlin programming language wins the bet by making shorter and cleaner codes. It’s a proven fact that apps written using Kotlin code eliminate around 40% of the lines in the program increasing speed by reducing syntactical overhead. Additionally, Java developers find it easy to switch to Kotlin due to the similar syntax, ease and intuitive language it offers to be. Benefits of Kotlin holds the credit for several other functions that Java does not account for, making its ecosystem a confidant especially for Android App development. Sounds intriguing? Well, then let’s take a leap!
Kotlin’s Reign: Unveiling Its Ascension as the Core Language for Android Development
Kotlin has emerged as the language of choice for Android developers, providing a compelling alternative to Java. While Java is prone to faults, sluggishness, and a lack of substantial developments, Kotlin serves as an excellent substitute. It provides a modern and efficient programming experience that appeals to developers due to its reduced syntax and increased productivity. Many people equate Kotlin’s impact on Android to Swift’s impact on iOS, recognizing its strong concepts and lofty goals. Furthermore, Kotlin Multiplatform broadens its appeal by allowing the construction of applications with shared codebases. With high prospects on the horizon, Kotlin for android basks in the favoritism of Android developers, promising an innovative and successful future.
Saves them from Null Pointer Exceptions
If there’s one thing that generates losses of billions of dollars in a system, it’s the Null Pointer Exceptions (NPE’s). It is definitely not advisable to make a huge investment in code and see it crash down due to errors and vulnerabilities. Along with the money, it’s a major time investment to guard the code against NPE’s. The elder counterpart, Java does not give developers any assurance to the rise of NPE, while Kotlin programming helps developers easily overcome this hazard as null safety is backed into Kotlin’s type system. You can catch the NPE’s at compile time offering a perfectly fault-proof and cheaper code to maintain.
Completely Interoperable with Java
What if you do not want to write your product only in Kotlin? You can still use Java and Kotlin at the same time as Kotlin guarantees 100% interoperability with Java. You can migrate to Kotlin with all the existing code in Java without any fear of shipping anything different between two languages. A code written in Java can be called in Kotlin and vice-versa. It is equally compatible with older versions of Java Developer Kit enabling smooth functioning on older devices too. In this way, you can switch to Kotlin at any pace you prefer- either right away or step by step.
Vast Tooling Support and IDE
What is an application without the right set of tools? In the case of Kotlin, you can be stress free about the toolkit availability as it supplies a vast majority of Android Studio IDE’s. Whereas, the IDE support in other languages is poor in comparison to this. Kotlin for Android development also supports some first-class plugins. For instance, “The convert Java file to Kotlin” feature lets you make conversions with a simple click.
Establishing Excellence: Creating Facilities with Enterprise in Mind
The Kotlin programming language was built keeping the needs of the enterprises in mind. The sole reason behind developing Kotlin was not to build something from scratch with a strong academic and research background. But to solve everyday development problems and improve team efficiency. Thanks to the benefits of Kotlin, now Android apps can take their seats faster in the market.
By considering Kotlin’s benefits and drawbacks, one can achieve a healthy balance in the world of Android programming. Even though Kotlin has many advantages, it’s important to be aware of any possible disadvantages. Given Kotlin’s subtle differences from Java, one drawback is the added expense of training a team in its use. In addition, compared to the bigger pool of Java developers, Kotlin developers may be harder to find on the market. However, Kotlin’s significant benefits transcend these minor drawbacks, and its current features and increased efficiency make it an alluring option.
Top Kotlin-First Android Apps
There has been no significant reason to look back after Google has made Kotlin its official language of Android development. So, it’s no wonder that Kotlin has hit the ground in Stack Overflow for two years and topped the GitHub list as the fastest-growing language. Well, that takes us to an important conclusion – Kotlin-first apps are leading the Android market. See who is using them!
Android engineers at Pinterest thank Kotlin programming for enabling them to write simple, quick and accurate code. This popular image sharing app has gained traction giving better results to the end-user. They successfully migrated from Java to Kotlin and later understanding its benefits adopted it as their primary language of development.
Netflix
This online streaming platform stretching across 190 countries have recently revised and rebuilt their UI Player fully on Kotlin. And they can’t thank Google better for the blessing that it brought to their overall visual experience.
Uber
One of the leading apps and services in the commutation market, Uber has also significantly invested in Kotlin for enhancing their tooling processes. This includes annotation and Gradle plugins. In the case of Uber’s Gradle Kotlin is typically used to write build scripts
Tinder
Tinder app making the current trend to how people meet and date has also revolutionized its production environment with Kotlin. This app has achieved concise and clear code architecture with the potential of Kotlin application deployment.
Trello
This leading application is used to organize projects via boards and has won the hearts of millions of big companies. It is appreciated for streamlining workflows and boosting company productivity and efficiency. The earlier mentioned interoperability with Java is one of the major reasons that made Trello switch to Kotlin. This particularly proves useful because Trello has only Kotlinized its android application while the rest of the code remains in Java
Postmates
Postmates is a food delivery giant and has used Kotlin programmed Android apps to deliver its services. It’s scalability and the fail-fast mechanism is what encouraged Postmates to adopt this exceptional programming language to make full-featured and robust Android apps.
Evernote
Evernote, the popular app for taking notes, saving task lists and archiving is leveraging the potential of Kotlin programming language in its Android application. It helped the app extend and enhance the existing functionalities manifold. With the assistance of Kotlin, Evernote has added some extra features like handwritten notes, web pages, audio notes, photos and to-do lists making businesses organise their day to day activities in peace.
Coursera
Coursera is an online learning platform that offers certified courses and training to students from renowned universities and guidance from experienced faculties. Even though Coursera has no distinct iOS and Android divide, they have partially taken Kotlin as their confidant. After which they observed an overall efficiency in communication and knowledge sharing at every level.
Square
Square, the popular American financial service and online payment platform teamed up with Kotlin in 2015. It was taken into account for giving developers a better experience by enhancing the speed, productivity and performance to handle the company’s huge customer base.
The list goes on and there seem to be more and more companies awaiting to follow the Kotlin Android app trail and bag all its exciting features resulting in faster time-to-market.
Kotlin Multiplatform – One Language to Rule Them All?
By now, you might have had a fair idea of how Kotlin has stolen the hearts of Android developers. But did you also know that the Kotlin programming language is a blessing in disguise to backend and Java developers too? 
Well, the good news is that Kotlin Multiplatform is here to conquer iOS, Mac, Linux, Windows and Web Assembly by compiling to JavaScript. In fact it can switch to native platform code with Kotlin/Native. You also get a bonus with Kotlin/Native as it creates libraries with C headers and Apple frameworks or even makes use of Swift, C and Objective-C libraries. Now coming to the modules contained in a Kotlin Multiplatform Mobile (KMM), there are three (i) Android: that runs a native JVM Android application with the help of Android UI (ii) iOS: Native iOS UI on a native LLVM iOS app (iii)Common: General Kotlin coding for both iOS and Android. The Kotlin Multi Platform supplies a toolkit that allows you to work on these platforms sharing the same logic and codebase but with a different UI. In case you wish to ease your cross-platform development process, you are gifted with ready-made frameworks. Although Kotlin Multiplatform looks highly promising, it is still in its alpha stage which means it is still susceptible to experiments and changes.
Why is Pattem the Right Choice for your Kotlin Android Apps?
Kotlin has undoubtedly marked the new dawn of Android App development, and so should your new/existing apps. If you are somewhere close to this dream, then Pattem Digital is the best Kotlin app development company that offers Kotlin development services that deliver finest products keeping up with the market trends. Haven’t you seen that top companies are already utilizing the power of Kotlin? Irrespective of your industry we will heed to your android app requirements with Kotlin. Contact us to find out more!
