Have you decided to work in the field of Android application development? very well! Of course, you should know that the only decision is not enough, because learning Android programming can be very complicated. Sometimes it is not clear exactly where to start to learn Android programming! The first basic and important question that arises is choosing the right programming language for Android programming.
So, we suggest, that if you are at the beginning of the path and have many questions in your mind that need a suitable and convincing answer, read this article.
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Android programming languages
The first step in developing Android applications is choosing a programming language. The differences between different programming languages can be a bit complicated and subtle. But what is more important than the language itself is the tools connected to that language and the capabilities and purposes of those tools.
Common languages considered for Android programming are:
- Java
- Kotlin
- C++
- #C
- JavaScript (PhoneGap)
Java
When it comes to Android application development, Java is one of the main options. The Java language was published by Sun Microsystems in 1995 and has been used in many applications since then. Before Kotlin was introduced as the official Android application development language, Java held this position. However, due to the similarity between Kotlin and Java, many programmers still consider Java as an established programming language.
Kotlin
Kotlin has been introduced by Google as an official language for Android development. Like the Java language, Kotlin runs on the Java Virtual Machine. Also, Kotlin code is fully portable with Java. At the same time, Kotlin has a simpler system for reading codes, and there are no errors such as null point exceptions, which are one of the problems of the Java language, in Kotlin.
C++ / C
These languages are less preferred than other Android development programming languages. Android Studio provides support for C++/C code using the Android NDK (Native Development Kit). This means that the code does not run in the Java virtual machine, but instead runs locally on the machine, giving the programmer more control over things like memory allocation. For heavy applications, like 3D games, this allows the developer to get the best performance out of the Android device. In addition, you will be able to use libraries written in C or C++.
#C
C# was created by Microsoft to combine the power of C++ and the ease of Visual Basic. As we said, C# works very similar to Java. For example, just like Java, C# has memory recycling, which means you don’t have to worry about memory misuse and cleaning it up manually. Also, if you are familiar with one of these languages, learning another language will be very easy.
JavaScript (PhoneGap)
PhoneGap is a program that supports Apache Cordova and allows you to create applications using the same code that would normally be used to create a website and then deploy them through WebView (a tool that creates a website). through the application) is displayed. PhoneGap acts like a bridge and gives developers access to some basic features of the phone or tablet, such as the accelerometer or camera.