Kotlin for Android: Now Officially
Yesterday at the Google I / O 2017 conference, the Android team announced official support for the Kotlin language for developing Android applications. This is a huge step forward for Kotlin, and great news for the entire Android developer community.
Kotlin gives developers of Android applications the opportunity to use a powerful modern language, the code in which is more compact and reliable, reducing the likelihood of users crashing applications. Kotlin is easy to learn and combines well with Java, which allows you to gradually implement it in existing projects without losing experience, skills and technology.
Kotlin support plugin is now included with Android Studio 3.0, so developers don’t need to install additional plugins or worry about compatibility. JetBrains and Google also commit to supporting development on Kotlin in the future as the Android platform evolves.
At the same time, other platforms that support Kotlin (Kotlin / JVM for developing server and desktop applications, Kotlin / JS for browser and Kotlin / Native for native development) remain equally important for JetBrains. Our vision is to create a single tool that allows you to develop all the components of a modern application in the same language, regardless of which platform these components run on. This includes full-stack web applications, mobile clients for Android and iOS, and embedded IoT platforms, and more.
As with human languages, it is very beneficial for a programming language to be popular. Official support from Android will lead to an increase in the number of programmers on Kotlin, which means that Kotlin will develop more libraries and tools, more training materials, it will be easier to find solutions to possible problems or get a job as a programmer on Kotlin. We are very excited about the new perspectives that this opens up for the Kotlin ecosystem!
We decided to create a non-profit partnership around Kotlin with Google. At the same time, the development of the language will continue to be carried out by JetBrains, and the Kotlin team (currently more than 40 people) will work as before. The leading designer of the language is Andrei Breslav, and the principles that guide us in development do not change at all. Our design will continue to be open, because we need community feedback in order to develop Kotlin in the right direction.
May 19, 2017 at 20:30 Moscow time, you will be able to see the live broadcast of the report from the Google I / O about Kotlin, which will make Andrew Breslau Hadi Hariri, a leading evangelist JetBrains. And in November, Kotlin will be heldown conference to be held in San Francisco.
When Kotlin began its journey more than 6 years ago, we set ourselves the goal of creating a language that focuses on the same principles as our other tools - to help developers with the routine part of the work, allowing them to focus on what is really important. Programming should be fun and exciting!
We are extremely grateful to Google and the Android team for the trust they have shown us, but above all, we are grateful to you - our community, our users. Without you, Kotlin could not have achieved what it has achieved today. Thank you for being with us along this path, and hope to see you with us further.
We have prepared answers to some questions that may arise in connection with this announcement. If your question is not in the list, we will be happy to answer it in the comments. If you are not very familiar with Kotlin, you can find key information in the FAQ on our website .
One of the main goals of Kotlin, now and in the future, is to support various platforms. We continue to develop Kotlin / JVM (for server, desktop and other applications for the Java platform) and Kotlin / JS. For other platforms, such as macOS, iOS, and embedded / IoT systems, we are working on Kotlin / Native.
As before, Kotlin will have its own release cycle, not tied to Android or Android Studio releases. Projects remain completely independent. Of course, we will work closely with Google developers so that Kotlin always remains compatible with Android Studio and other Android development tools.
As before, JetBrains will be responsible for developing the plug-in for Android Studio. We plan to work closely with the Android Studio team.
Not. Kotlin is a multi-platform language, and we will invest in supporting various IDEs in the same way as before. Our main efforts are focused on the plugin for IntelliJ IDEA, and we will be glad to help the community in working on plugins for Eclipse and NetBeans.
Not. We plan to support both of these platforms in Kotlin / Native, and this plan does not change in any way.
Not. JetBrains does not plan to be sold to any other company. We have been and remain an independent manufacturer of tools for all developers, regardless of which language and platform they program for.
Kotlin gives developers of Android applications the opportunity to use a powerful modern language, the code in which is more compact and reliable, reducing the likelihood of users crashing applications. Kotlin is easy to learn and combines well with Java, which allows you to gradually implement it in existing projects without losing experience, skills and technology.
Kotlin support plugin is now included with Android Studio 3.0, so developers don’t need to install additional plugins or worry about compatibility. JetBrains and Google also commit to supporting development on Kotlin in the future as the Android platform evolves.
At the same time, other platforms that support Kotlin (Kotlin / JVM for developing server and desktop applications, Kotlin / JS for browser and Kotlin / Native for native development) remain equally important for JetBrains. Our vision is to create a single tool that allows you to develop all the components of a modern application in the same language, regardless of which platform these components run on. This includes full-stack web applications, mobile clients for Android and iOS, and embedded IoT platforms, and more.
As with human languages, it is very beneficial for a programming language to be popular. Official support from Android will lead to an increase in the number of programmers on Kotlin, which means that Kotlin will develop more libraries and tools, more training materials, it will be easier to find solutions to possible problems or get a job as a programmer on Kotlin. We are very excited about the new perspectives that this opens up for the Kotlin ecosystem!
We decided to create a non-profit partnership around Kotlin with Google. At the same time, the development of the language will continue to be carried out by JetBrains, and the Kotlin team (currently more than 40 people) will work as before. The leading designer of the language is Andrei Breslav, and the principles that guide us in development do not change at all. Our design will continue to be open, because we need community feedback in order to develop Kotlin in the right direction.
May 19, 2017 at 20:30 Moscow time, you will be able to see the live broadcast of the report from the Google I / O about Kotlin, which will make Andrew Breslau Hadi Hariri, a leading evangelist JetBrains. And in November, Kotlin will be heldown conference to be held in San Francisco.
Thank you very much!
When Kotlin began its journey more than 6 years ago, we set ourselves the goal of creating a language that focuses on the same principles as our other tools - to help developers with the routine part of the work, allowing them to focus on what is really important. Programming should be fun and exciting!
We are extremely grateful to Google and the Android team for the trust they have shown us, but above all, we are grateful to you - our community, our users. Without you, Kotlin could not have achieved what it has achieved today. Thank you for being with us along this path, and hope to see you with us further.
FAQ
We have prepared answers to some questions that may arise in connection with this announcement. If your question is not in the list, we will be happy to answer it in the comments. If you are not very familiar with Kotlin, you can find key information in the FAQ on our website .
Will Kotlin focus primarily on Android?
One of the main goals of Kotlin, now and in the future, is to support various platforms. We continue to develop Kotlin / JVM (for server, desktop and other applications for the Java platform) and Kotlin / JS. For other platforms, such as macOS, iOS, and embedded / IoT systems, we are working on Kotlin / Native.
How will this affect the Kotlin release cycle?
As before, Kotlin will have its own release cycle, not tied to Android or Android Studio releases. Projects remain completely independent. Of course, we will work closely with Google developers so that Kotlin always remains compatible with Android Studio and other Android development tools.
Who will develop the plugin for Android Studio?
As before, JetBrains will be responsible for developing the plug-in for Android Studio. We plan to work closely with the Android Studio team.
Will this affect Kotlin support in IntelliJ IDEA, Eclipse or NetBeans?
Not. Kotlin is a multi-platform language, and we will invest in supporting various IDEs in the same way as before. Our main efforts are focused on the plugin for IntelliJ IDEA, and we will be glad to help the community in working on plugins for Eclipse and NetBeans.
Will it affect macOS and iOS support?
Not. We plan to support both of these platforms in Kotlin / Native, and this plan does not change in any way.
Is Google going to buy a JetBrains?
Not. JetBrains does not plan to be sold to any other company. We have been and remain an independent manufacturer of tools for all developers, regardless of which language and platform they program for.