Head First Kotlin - Another generala purpose language or a more specific one

[R.J. Arzki]

Hi guys,

Would one regard Kotlin as a specific scripting/programming language, like Groovy for example or another full fledged general purpose programming language like Java or C/C++? What would be the drive for one to learn this new language, and more importantly how to convince your boss that it's worth investing in a training program for the entire development team.

Thank  you.

[David Griffiths]

Hello :-)

It's a general purpose language, like Java or C++. The reason (initially) was to create a more modern language that could be used in the same way that Java could be used. That was one reason why Google chose it for Android development. Kotlin can be compiled down to the same byte codes as Java, and so can be run on Android devices, without needing to create a whole new tool chain. However, it can also be used to create more expressive server-side code that Java, and also it became clear that because it is a general language, it would also be possible to transpire it into languages like JavaScript which will allow it to run inside node and inside browsers. More recently, Kotlin native allows it to be used on devices that have neither Java nor JavaScript.

Why should you learn it? Simply because it will *probably* integrate with your existing projects, and it will give you access to features like co-routines and more advanced generics.

Thanks for the great question!

D+D

[Sean Corfield]

R.J. Arzki wrote:specific scripting/programming language, like Groovy

I'm curious as to why you would categorize Groovy like that? I would consider Groovy to be a full, general-purpose language for the JVM -- just like Clojure, Kotlin, Scala, and several other languages that have appeared since Java.

[R.J. Arzki]

David Griffiths wrote:Hello :-)

It's a general purpose language, like Java or C++. The reason (initially) was to create a more modern language that could be used in the same way that Java could be used. That was one reason why Google chose it for Android development. Kotlin can be compiled down to the same byte codes as Java, and so can be run on Android devices, without needing to create a whole new tool chain. However, it can also be used to create more expressive server-side code that Java, and also it became clear that because it is a general language, it would also be possible to transpire it into languages like JavaScript which will allow it to run inside node and inside browsers. More recently, Kotlin native allows it to be used on devices that have neither Java nor JavaScript.

Why should you learn it? Simply because it will *probably* integrate with your existing projects, and it will give you access to features like co-routines and more advanced generics.

Thanks for the great question!

D+D

Thank you for the detailed answer. I will definitely check it out in the near future (if I'm lucky soon with the help of your book )

[R.J. Arzki]

Sean Corfield wrote:

R.J. Arzki wrote:specific scripting/programming language, like Groovy

I'm curious as to why you would categorize Groovy like that? I would consider Groovy to be a full, general-purpose language for the JVM -- just like Clojure, Kotlin, Scala, and several other languages that have appeared since Java.

You are right, Groovy is much more than just a scripting language. I've just come to personally associating it to a scripting language because of the way I am using it in my daily work (Unit and Functional testing of ETL processes inside SoapUI).