What Is Kotlin?
Kotlin is a statistical-type programming language that can generate code to run on JVM (Java virtual machines), therefore it can be used anywhere Java is used today, this includes client, web, server, and Android development. Kotlin derives its name from Kotlin Island located in Russia. It was developed by JetBrains, YouTrack, and many other IDE solutions. JetBrains has enabled Kotlin to use aggressive inference to decide the type of expressions and values in case they weren’t defined by Android App Developers, this feature makes Kotlin more distinctive than Java. Kotlin is capable of differentiating with Java code, meaning, code written in Kotlin can work as seamlessly with Java as it does natively. Kotlin is commonly used to build apps for various Android platforms, In 2017 Google announced a new era in the evolving field of Android app development by announcing its support for Kotlin. Thanks to solid corporate support from JetBrains and Google, the language is rapidly gaining popularity. Kotlin was invented in the year 2011, in short time Kotlin has taken Limelight and turned into a reliable programming language to develop Android apps. Kotlin is popular among developers for its clean language design and powerful features.
Who Is Using Kotlin?
It is currently predominantly used for Android app development, spurred on by Google’s official support. According to the official website of the Kotlin, many of the leading technology companies, including Atlassian, Pivotal, and giants like Uber, Evernote, Pinterest, are actively using Kotlin to stay competitive. As a modern language, Kotlin has the advantage of being able to leverage all other language design.
Here are some of the benefits of Kotlin and ways it can improve your business.
• Kotlin is more concise
Kotlin is way more concise than Java, it solves the same problems with fewer lines of code. If code in java takes 50 lines, it only takes 1-2 lines in Kotlin. This means fewer errors and bugs, it improves code maintainability and readability so engineers can write, read, and change code more effectively, easily, and efficiently. Kotlin is the master of smooth and concise syntax, features like smart casts, type inference, data classes, and properties help to achieve conciseness.
• Kotlin code is safer
Kotlin prevents common programming mistakes by design which results in fewer system failures and application crashes. Kotlin helps developers to write more robust code by nudging them to think about potential problems with their code explicitly, it can maximize the total productivity of an entire development team.
• Better support for functional programming
Functional programming is a development paradigm that allows developers to solve many tasks easily and consistently. It was introduced in Java 8, but Kotlin has much better support for functional programming. Functional concepts can be used more concisely and explicitly with proper function types. Performance can be improved via inlining which is not currently possible in Java.
• Fewer errors and bugs in the code
The Kotlin compiler performs many checks to avoid runtime errors and reduces the cost and effort of error fixes. With its clear and more compact codebase, Kotlin has left no room for making mistakes. It also provides a more stable code in production.
• Speed-up every-day development tasks
Developers can get more work done using Kotlin compared to Java. Kotlin offers a myriad of useful features that facilitate every-day development tasks–something Java doesn’t provide. This includes default parameter values, extension functions, object declarations, and many other features. All these features help speed up development time while keeping the code base more maintainable.
• Kotlin is much more reliable
Kotlin is a much more mature programming language compared to other emerging programming languages such as Flutter. Since it’s inception, Kotlin has gone under numerous Alpha and Beta tests before JetBrains finally released its final public version. JetBrains also made Kotlin’s latest version reversely compatible with many of its previous language versions, which gives much more reliability for the existing Kotlin-based Android apps.
• Developers are more excited to use Kotlin
According to RebelLabs’ survey of over 2000 Java developers are more excited to use Kotlin and the one they’re most satisfied with as well (9.1 of 10). JAXenter even proposed Kotlin as a potential candidate for the programming language of the year 2017 due to the satisfaction stats, its ascent in the popular TIOBE index, Google’s official support, in its own survey which confirmed that Kotlin catches the interest of the surprising portion of JAXenter’s readers.
• Engineers can enhance their skills
Developer expertise will improve while learning about Kotlin. As they dive deep into the language, they will learn about language design and good compiler, asynchronous programming challenges, and solutions. Kotlin aims to enhance the features of Java, not just rewriting them. All the skills that an app developer has mastered while working on Java can also be applied to every project related to Kotlin.
Conclusion
Kotlin's overall popularity has risen to another level altogether by getting continuous support from JetBrains and Google. Kotlin has earned much acclaim worldwide, it is definitely a clear sign that the future of Kotlin and it will not be limited to Android applications only.
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