QUICK LINKS
CONTACT INFORMATION
Email – info@filioforce.ca
Address – 2501-565 Sherbourne st, Toronto, Canada, ON M4X 1W7
We continue to tell you about the technologies that Filio Force Inc. specialists use in their work. In this article we are going to talk about one of the youngest programming languages, developed just over a decade ago.
Kotlin is an object-oriented language. It offers static typing, which ensures that errors can be detected at the compilation stage. This is an advantage when developing complex and large projects. Kotlin is one of the fastest growing programming languages, allowing you to develop applications for iOS and Android mobile systems, web applications, server-side and cross-platform solutions. Kotlin is pragmatic and flexible. This language is popular with both experienced programmers and beginners. This is because its structure is very clear.
Compact and versatile
Kotlin is a concise language created in 2011 to replace the verbose Java language. However, it is not just another language, but a complete ecosystem. It includes the language itself, a basic toolkit and libraries. This set is called Common Kotlin. Filio Force developers often use this language to build software for customers.
The new language is 40% more compact than its predecessor. At the same time, Kotlin is fully compatible with Java. This means that Java frameworks and libraries can be used in Kotlin applications. Kotlin runs on top of the Java Virtual Machine. This means that Kotlin can run on any server running Java.
This language is primarily designed to simplify and speed up the development process for Java users. Both languages and common libraries can be used in the same project. At the same time, Kotlin code is more compact and safer.
The developers intended Kotlin to be a universal language. In principle, Kotlin can be used anywhere Java works. The main areas of use for Kotlin are mobile and server-side development. Unlike Java, Kotlin can be used to build applications not only for Android, but also for iOS using Kotlin Multiplatform Mobile, a software development tool designed to simplify the creation of cross-platform applications for mobile devices.
But Kotlin can also be used to write desktop software, for data science, and even in the front-end, although JavaScript reigns supreme here. The point is that Kotlin can be compiled into JavaScript. Such a version can be used to build a frontend. This means that it is quite realistic to write both logic and interface in it – a web application in its entirety.
What are the differences between Kotlin and Java?
Java and Kotlin are interoperable languages. In fact, they are very similar: both are statically typed, support object-oriented programming, and run on the Java Virtual Machine. You can even mix their functions and classes in some development environments. Let’s look at how these languages differ.
There are four key differences between Kotlin and Java
- Kotlin is protected from NullPointerException. Java programmers are well aware of this problem, which is the cause of frequent crashes in Google Play applications. The error occurs when code tries to access an object whose value is null. Unlike Java, all variables in Kotlin are non-null by default. The Null Safety function is responsible for this. To assign the value “null” to such a variable, it is specially marked.
- Coroutines. These are used in conjunction with Java’s multithreading and asynchrony mechanisms. Coroutines are used to prioritise data loading, which minimises the time it takes to start an application. This is exactly what is needed in mobile development.
- Extensibility. In Kotlin, you can easily extend a class to add new parameters using special extension functions. This is not possible in Java.
- Speed. Applications written in Java compile faster than those written in Kotlin. But if you do not rebuild the whole project, but only modified parts of it, Kotlin builds even faster thanks to a special mechanism.
In fact, there are many other features that make Kotlin development easier, faster and safer. At the same time, Kotlin code is more readable and shorter than Java. Filio Force’s development team offers assistance to small and large companies in developing and modernising applications written in Kotlin.
Filio Force Canada other articles
AR-technologies: combining real and virtual worldsComplex site promotion = project developmentMachine learning. How it helps in life and businessSaaS Solutions. Benefits for users and developersBusiness Process Automation: Key AspectsWhat PWA can do for your businessCode quality: automation of verification and toolsCybersecurity. Can you be hacked with ChatGPT?What is a PaaS platform?Trends in e-CommerceERP system implementation
AR-technologies: combining real and virtual worlds
Augmented Reality (AR) is an environment that augments the world around us in real time. It is created by projecting digital information (text, images, graphics, video) onto the screen of various devices. This adds artificial elements and new information to the real world. This is done using devices such as tablets or smartphones. Of course, software is also required.
Specialists from Filio Force Inc. talked about the development and application of AR technologies.
Complex site promotion = project development
Every business owner focuses their resources on making their business thrive, increasing sales and growing profits. If you are an e-commerce business, you have a website that is the storefront for your shop or service. Naturally, you want your product pages, services or articles to rank highly in search engine results. Therefore, your website needs comprehensive promotion. The main aspects of this are described by the specialists at Filio Force Inc.
Machine learning. How it helps in life and business
Machine learning is a branch of artificial intelligence that focuses on creating systems that learn and evolve based on the data they receive. Self-driving cars and voice assistants on smartphones are technologies based on machine learning. Self-driving cars use computer vision technology. Voice assistants use speech and sound recognition technology.
SaaS Solutions. Benefits for users and developers
Software as a Service (SaaS) is a subscription-based software licensing model. The provider develops and maintains applications, programs, places them in the cloud and makes them available to the user. The customer pays for access and receives an out-of-the-box tool.
Business Process Automation: Key Aspects
Almost every company in the modern economy is involved in business process automation in one way or another. The introduction of scripts, intelligent robots, CRM systems, etc. provides opportunities for business development, increasing profits and reducing costs.
What PWA can do for your business
If your company is not present in the digital world, consider that no one knows about it. Nowadays, people look for almost all the information they need on the Internet. Therefore, if you want your business to be successful, you must have an online presence. This requires a website and preferably a mobile application that your customers can install on their smartphones. However, not all businesses can afford to develop both a website and an app. The solution is PWAs.
Progressive Web Applications (PWAs) are applications built using web technologies that can be installed and run on all devices from a single code base. This is the definition provided by Microsoft.
Code quality: automation of verification and tools
Good code is clean code. Code quality affects the quality of software, its safety, security, and reliability. It is also a parameter determining the level and professionalism of developers.
The important stage in the process of development of any software is code checking. To do it manually is labour-intensive, troublesome, long and, as the result, expensive. Automation of the processes makes life of engineers easier and raises the efficiency of the development process itself. A serious verification system is able to generate test logic and run tests by itself to identify errors.
Cybersecurity. Can you be hacked with ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence (AI)-based model. It learns from massive amounts of data and uses contextual data to improve the quality of its responses. Why is ChatGPT so controversial? On the one hand, the chatbot is a useful online security tool, but at the same time, hackers and cybercriminals are already interested in it.
What is a PaaS platform?
PaaS – Platform-as-a-service. You don’t need to create your own solutions and tools to develop and use complex systems. You can use PaaS, which has everything you need. In the past, developers had to pick and buy a lot of different tools from different vendors. You had to maintain and integrate them, and they needed constant oversight. As the digital product develops, the number of tools used increases, and auxiliary solutions appear. As a result, everything becomes complex, and business processes become cumbersome and unmanageable.
Trends in e-Commerce
Mobile gadgets will dominate eCommerce.
This trend is supported by the increase in sales: in particular, in 2023, revenue from global retail sales through smartphones rose to 3.57 trillion dollars, compared with a “modest” 2.91 trillion dollars a year earlier. This is not surprising given that there are already 5.3 billion smartphone users worldwide, which is the vast majority of the world’s population.
ERP system implementation
ERP system or production resource planning system is a software that helps to keep records, plan and distribute all tangible and intangible resources of the company – finance, inventory, raw material stocks and even personnel. Thanks to a competent integrated approach it is possible to increase the productivity of the enterprise, reduce costs, reduce downtime, increase efficiency and, accordingly, profits. This is why such solutions are extremely popular. Implementation of ERP in production requires a careful and thoughtful approach, thorough preparation and readiness for changes on the part of both company management and all its employees.