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In this article, we are going to understand why Kotlin is the framework that they chose and what the benefits that they got from it are.
For those who need to be more adequately aware of this programming language, it was first released in 2011 and is one of the most recent. It has increased because of its dedicated community of developers. These developers make sure that they keep improving the frameworks.
The last stable update was released a few days back, on 14th August this year. Kotlin is a static programming language that can be used for JVM (Java Virtual Machine) and JS (JavaScript).
The syntax that is used is refreshing and comparatively easier to remember. People often compare it with Java, but most of them need to learn that it is straightforward to add Java classes to any Kotlin Project to make it better.
The Ticket To The World Of Android Development
Kotlin might have been in the shadows for a long time, but now it is being used the way it deserves to be. The world might not know this, but since 2017, even Google has adopted it as its official base for android application development.
The reason behind it is the features and the power that it provides to development companies. It is one of the best languages companies can choose to develop android applications.
The best reason is that this language is used by the company that developed Android. There can't be any more significant reason than that.
2017-2018 was when this language found its ground in the world. This was also when it was declared the official language of Android. A survey revealed that before the 2017 Google conference, 20% of the applications developed with Java migrated to Kotlin.
That statistic has changed a lot during the past three years.
How Kotlin Changed The Development Industry
Kotlin has changed the way applications are developed with its features and power. The language is easy to understand, the syntax is short and easy to remember, and there are a lot of predefined functions.
That is something that most other programming languages don't have. Java, the official language of Android before Kotlin, is a challenge to understand and implement.
There are many things that developers have to practice, and only then can they present their minds. Kotlin eliminated the struggle that developers have to go through when they want to convert their idea into code.
Many features in Kotlin make applications better than they were before. This is one of the significant reasons why big companies like Pinterest, Uber, and others are migrating to this programming language.
Many on-demand food delivery app development projects have used Kotlin as well.
The Reasons Why Kotlin Is Getting To The Top Spot And Becoming The First Choice For App Development
We have made it clear now that we will talk about how and why Kotlin is getting to the top in the category of android development languages.
It will soon become the first choice for a lot of development companies. Though iOS development companies might not choose it, it will do wonders for Android development companies. Android takes up more than 60 percent of the development market, and if this language becomes their first choice, it will win the market.
Nothing will stop it from becoming the best language for Android development.
The community of developers that it has constantly been working and improving it. This is why they are in the position that they are, even though the world has a lot of different development programming languages.
Let's understand the benefits that it provides:
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It Improves Development Time By Improving Code Maintainability
Because their code maintainability is improved with updates, the development speed has also increased. This is the reason why companies can now complete projects within their deadline.
This also means that the code will be written simply so the engineers can read it without problems. They will not have to put in extra effort as well. Many features are associated with this programming language. The language is concise; it has intelligent casts, data classes, properties, and a type interface.
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Reduces The Chances Of Application Crashes
Kotlin is a language that assures that an application will be safe and rigid. The chances of these applications crashing are meager, and that is because of this language.
The android app development company can be assured that the software will work as expected. Also, it supports the fail-fast development style. This is something that will reduce the chances a lot.
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Less Coding For The Easy Maintainability Of Apps
Coding with Kotlin is easy. The programming language uses easy, small sentences. It will be easy to develop or modify a project again if requirements change or the design requires some modifications.
There might be situations when both the content and the code need to be changed. This language will allow developers to solve the issue in no time. Developers also have to understand the code with the programming language's syntax.
Why Is The Industry Moving From Java To New Programming Languages Like Kotlin?
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Influence From Big Names
Every small or medium android app development company is getting influenced by the big names that have migrated to Kotlin.
The big ones have played it smart and improved their applications and, eventually, their business significantly. This has motivated other companies to take a chance and use Kotlin as their base of android development. This language can take any standard application idea to another level.
This language is also easy, reducing the efforts the developers have to put in. Fewer efforts mean more creativity, and an android development company always prefers that.
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Developed Apps Are Concise
Applications developed through Kotlin are concise, meaning they are less in size but excellent in performance. This is something that any mobile app development company prefers.
Big applications only get downloaded when they are unique. Business-related applications need to be concise and should also perform well. These criteria are also critical for applications to achieve a good reach and ranking in the search list of app stores.
The algorithm prefers applications that have an easy code base and perform great. Else other things depend upon the developers.
They need to make sure the application is not studded with features that are not important.
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Better UX
The user interface has become important for the modern application user. They want applications with simple UX that allows them to do whatever they want to do within the limits of the application.
This is not possible in languages other than Kotlin. Kotlin Developed applications with a unique user interface that works without any problem. The app market will have a great boom with this feature of this language in the coming future.
UX is becoming more and more critical with each passing day. App developers and designers are thinking of new ideas. Still, it gets tough to implement them using other android programming languages.
This is why Kotlin is preferred over others when it comes to the development of UX.
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Fail-Fast Development
Fail-fast development means any error in the development process will be reported in the least possible time. This is only possible with some other development languages.
Kotlin wants developers to remove the errors at the earliest so that the developed product is clean and works well. This is something that will save time and ensure the quality of the application. This is the best choice for a mobile app development company that wants to meet all its deadlines and give its clients the best.
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Breezy Development Process With Its Latest Update
The development process with Kotlin will become smooth with Kotlin's latest update. Like any other language in the world, Kotin has some problems.
But the best part about them is that their community is active and just like the language, they are fast too. They ensure that the issues developers face are resolved as soon as possible. Some new features help development companies to work smoothly.
This is a factor that impacts the quality of the developed software. When developers work without stress and put in efforts that give them good results, they will stay motivated. Other languages sometimes make development a very frustrating task.
Read More: Why Kotlin Is best choice For Android Application Development
Applications That Have Been Developed With Kotlin
We have discussed everything about the language; now let's talk about the companies that chose it. These companies were the ones that trusted it and found it to be better than the others.
The names listed below are well-known worldwide, and if they found Kotlin to be better, there has to be something good in it. Let's know more about these companies:
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Pinterest
Pinterest is a photo-sharing application. They are one of the most famous names in their genre, and they officially moved from Java to Kotlin in 2016.
And this turned out to be one of their most significant decisions—the UX of the application and usability improved by a big notch. Pinterest is known around the world and has been going strong. Their android application is used more than the website because of the features and the ease of access.
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Uber
Everyone knows Uber. Uber is an application that operates around the world. One of the most popular on-demand taxi applications, Uber, has received great reviews for its application after it switched to Kotlin as its base.
This has also solved a lot of the problems that users were facing before Kotlin. Also, Kotlin is safe and reliable; the application runs smoothly without significant errors. An on-demand app development company must choose Kotlin to make its application as good as Uber.
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Evernote
This note-taking application was also developed with Java initially before they moved to Kotlin. Evernote is one of the applications that realized soon that Kotlin would be better for their development stack.
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Gradle
Gradle is an application that is used to develop android packages (.apk files), and that is something they do by providing the custom logic and managing dependencies needed to build the application.
Recently, they included Kotlin as the programming language for writing scripts in their application. This turned out to be great, and the application users appreciated the change. Their reviews also improved.
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Shadowsocks
This is a cross-platform proxy server that is very secure. This is used by people who want to access the internet securely and privately.
The application also switched to Kotlin and now has more than 1,000,000 downloads.
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Postmates
This is an on-demand delivery application that went with Kotlin for getting its Android application developed. The reason why they switched to Kotlin is that it supports scalability.
This is something that many other application development companies wish to do too. Another reason why they preferred this over other languages is their fail-fast feature, which is explained previously in this article.
The on-demand app development company that developed this app also felt it better to choose this language.
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Basecamp 3
The developer of this application accepted that they saw a significant improvement in the quality of the application after they switched to Kotlin.
This is something that influenced a lot of other applications to do the same.
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Coursera
This education website is one of the best in their league, and they have also switched to Kotlin for the best. Kotlin provided this application with a smooth interface and all the necessary features to keep improving the application.
Things To Consider Before Migrating To a New Programming Language
Whether The App Is Ready For Migration
It is essential to know whether an application is ready for migration. Not all applications need to migrate. Suppose the application is not working as expected or the existing programming language lacks something the market wants.
In that case, the app can be migrated to a new language. Migration is not recommended if the current programming language works well for the application.
Though Kotlin is a great application, it takes time and extra money to migrate, and that is not a good step for a business to take if it is not needed.
Suppose the company wants to migrate as Kotlin allows scalability. In that case, they need to do it when they have enough capital and time. Migration is essential for companies with problems with the programming language in their Android Application development stack.
That The Application Architecture Is Not Designed With Loosely Coupled Components
Check the architecture of the application. All the functions and their pointers should be adequately defined, which primarily creates problems.
Test the application thoroughly with unit testing or any other testing method. There can be different ways to figure out the issues in architecture. This is something that developers do, and no matter what programming language is used, developers will need to keep the architecture strong.
Suppose developers can find and fix all the pointers in the architecture of the Java application. In that case, there is no need to migrate the application to Kotlin. This is something that companies need to understand.
All the migrated companies have faced problems with the features or scalability of their existing programming language.
Final Few Words
Kotlin is one of the android programming languages that is strong enough to compete with the veteran programming language Java.
No matter how many new languages came, they needed to be more vital to make applications migrate from Java. This language won everyone in the market. Big companies have paved the way for all other development companies to switch to Kotlin to improve their scalability and features.
Also, it is essential to ensure whether an application needs migration to Kotlin. No matter how excellent or beneficial Kotlin is, there should be a strong reason for an application to migrate to it.
The Kotlin application development industry can take it up as their first language. Android is improving, and since Kotlin has become the official language of Google for android development, it will improve even more.
Kotlin application development companies have a great scope with this as it is easy to understand.
It demands less effort from their side to develop an application with no compromise in quality. This language is the only language of this level with the caliber to create an application with many features and is still concise.
Pinterest, Square, Postmates, and Evernote are just a few big names that have migrated to this programming language. The reasons for this are valid. These companies also have experienced improvements and gained more users on their applications.
