Why to Use Kotlin?

Kotlin is a programming language for the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) and, therefore, can be used wherever Java is used today (which is virtually anywhere). These include server, client, web, and Android development. It was developed by Jet Brains who are currently working to bring Kotlin to embedded systems and iOS, potentially making it a one-stop language for all application areas.

What makes Kotlin so popular among developers is its clean language design and powerful features. Its goal is not explicitly to introduce new concepts but to bring together features of a programming language that have proven beneficial for large-scale projects.

History

• Jet Brains unveiled Kotlin, a new language project for JVM (Java Virtual Machine) in July 2011. It had been under development for over a year.
• In February 2012, Jet Brains opened the project under an Apache 2 license.
• Kotlin is named after the island of Kotlin, near St. Petersburg, Russia.
• First, the officially stable version of Kotlin v1.0 was released on February 15, 2016.
• At Google I/O 2017, Google announced it as the language of choice for Android.

The advantage of Kotlin over Java?

Kotlin can be used anywhere in Java (very soon to be used in more places). According to Google’s official announcement, it is currently used for Android app development.

Below are some points about Kotlin advantages & disadvantages over Java.

• Easier to maintain: Kotlin also supports multiple IDs like Eclipse, Atom, Sublime Text, Wim, and Android Studio. Developed by Kotlin Jet Brains, it naturally follows that IntelliJ IDEA has the best support for the IDE language. You can use any tool you are comfortable with to scale your codebase.
• If your system has 2GB of RAM and a normal processor, you use excellent text with kotlin build.
• If your system has 4GB RAM and a normal processor, you can use Atom.
• Use Intellij IDEA if your system has 6GB RAM and a good processor as it consumes a lot of memory.
• Kotlin has a null as type system: The null pointer exception is a common exception for developing Android applications in Java, but Kotlin solves this problem by putting null right into his type system.
• Age factor: The first version of Java was released 20 years ago. This essentially adds legacy baggage to the language as each new version must be compatible with the previous version. As a modern language, Kotlin has the inherent advantage of taking advantage of all the language design skills she has acquired over the last 20 years and focusing on advanced features that can work well.
• Secure coding: Kotlin code is more secure than Java because it prevents programming errors throughout its design, so system failure and application crush are less. Kotlin forces developers to think clearly about potential problems with their code, thus helping them to write stronger code.
• Better support for functional programming: Functional programming is an example of development that allows developers to solve many tasks more easily and consistently. Java brings this feature to java 8 but Kotlin has better support for functional programming. Performance can also be improved by inlining which is not currently the case in Java.
• Reducing code errors and bugs: Kotlin Compiler aims to fail as quickly as possible. This greatly facilitates the detection of bugs and may even prevent them in the first place. The Kotlin compiler does a lot of checking, avoids runtime errors, and reduces the cost and effort of error correction.
• Developers will be more satisfied and excited about their work: According to a survey of RebelLabs by more than 2000 Java developers, Kotlin is the technology they are most excited to use, and the one they are most satisfied with (9.1 out of 10). JAXenter also proposed Kotlin as a potential candidate for the 2017 programming language due to its satisfaction statistics, its rise in the popular TIOBE index, Google’s official endorsement and its own survey, which confirmed that Kotlin is interested in a surprising share. Readers of JAXenter (C was eventually renamed). However, due to the growing preference for Cotlin by developers and its ease of use, adopting Cotlin can help keep your engineers more satisfied and engaged on the job.
• Kotlin is more concise: Kotlin is more concise than Java in many respects, solving similar problems with fewer lines of code. This improves the maintenance and readability of the code, meaning that engineers can write, read and modify the code more efficiently and effectively. Features like type prediction, smart cast, data class and properties help achieve conciseness.

Disadvantages of Kotlin over Java?

• Kotlin Minimal Learning Opportunities: While most developers are relocating to Kotlin, there are few developers available worldwide. It provides minimal tools for learning various questions during the programming languages and software development process.
• Coordination speed is slow: In some cases, Kotlin works faster than Java, especially during periods of additional construction. But note that Java will always produce growth when it comes to neat building.
• Different from Java: Although there are some similarities between Kotlin and Java, they still have some big differences. After learning so much about Kotlin, mobile app developers can’t go into any other programming language

Kotlin is better than Java and Kotlin code from Java is easy to use and vice versa. But it is very difficult to transfer a large project from Java to Kotlin, so a better option is to just convert a few codes from Java to Kotlin and write a new test code in Kotlin as both use JVM so that we can write code in both languages in the same project.