If you’re targeting the JVM or Android devices, chances are, you’re probably writing Java. While the JVM ecosystem is overflowing with useful libraries to solve a pile of important problems, and Android powers most smart phones, Java-the-language hasn’t improved much in the last 15 years.
Over the years, plenty of other languages that target the JVM have come and gone, but they have their own issues, including steep learning curves, incomplete featuresets, or slow build processes that get in the way of your productivity.
Kotlin is a new language for the JVM and Android, first designed by JetBrains (the creators of the IntelliJ IDE). Kotlin focuses on building upon the feature set of Java, and improving your productivity through better syntax, safer code, and faster build times.
It also has truly excellent IDE integration, and it’s a first-class supported language for Android development.
In this talk we’re going to introduce you, the Java developer, to Kotlin! We’ll start off exploring the important differences between Java and Kotlin so you can become immediately productive. Then we’ll look at how features native to Kotlin, including null-safe types and receiver blocks let you write safer code more productively.
We’ll finish off looking at the ecosystems of libraries and other developer tools, and how to choose between Java libraries and Kotlin libraries.