If you want to develop for Android, then this article is for you. Here we will talk about the first steps, the stages of learning, and, of course, the programming languages that you need for Android.
Mobile development is moving forward at a rapid pace. Smartphones have become the most popular technology commodity, with a 44% share of the electronics world. In 2018, more than 1.5 billion of them were sold. As far as operating systems are concerned, Android leads the way, with 80% of smartphones sold in 2018. And we do not take into account the huge number of other gadgets that run on Android: watches, tablets, televisions, and, recently, even refrigerators.
The higher the popularity of the OS, the harder it is to satisfy the user's needs, because they are constantly growing and changing. These days, people need a large number of applications of all kinds, from games and messengers to banking products, cab ordering services, or take-home meals. These and many other apps you can buy android installs are regularly downloaded from the Play Store. Now that there is no doubt in the demand for mobile development, we need to find answers to other important questions, such as: what languages to learn first, what stages should the training consist of, and how many programming languages a good modern specialist needs to know.
There are many languages for mobile development, but first, we recommend learning Java because it is the foundation and a timeless classic. TIOBE indexes show that since 2002, it is only the 1st and 2nd most popular among programmers.
After mastering this base, it will be very easy to master other languages. But it is not advisable to take up several languages at once. It's better to understand one language well first, and only then start another.
For those who start from scratch, you should immediately determine how much time they are ready to spend on practical training. Programming languages are like foreign languages: you can't learn them only from textbooks and theory, without practice. The first task is to understand the basic concepts, i.e. to learn the basics. It is similar everywhere - variables and their types, condition statements, functions, syntax, loops, and arrays. These are the main constructs without which you cannot write code.
It is important not to neglect object-oriented programming. The essence of this approach is to describe real objects by combining their properties and functions. Example: Every car has a specific set of properties, such as make, color, capacity, weight, etc. Also, cars perform a number of functions: driving, braking, lighting with headlights, and others. The relationship of all features to the driver is also important in the OOP.
In the beginning, the basic knowledge will be enough to develop your first projects, such as a calculator or a simple game. If you are already familiar with the basics of programming, you can start working with Java in just a couple of weeks. Special difficulties in the process of learning this language should not arise, because it requires an unambiguous description of each of his plans, which eliminates confusion. Complete beginners to learn the base and practice should be at least 2 months.
Having fixed the basics and written the first application (ideally even a few), start mastering the second language, which is now steadily gaining popularity and is recognized by many major IT companies.
The Kotlin language has maximum compatibility with Java, so you'll learn it much easier and faster. Kotlin appeared in 2011, but Google named it a priority language for Android development only in the spring of 2019. After receiving this recognition, the language quickly became in demand among programmers around the world. Keeping up with current trends, more and more employers are starting to attract specialists with knowledge of Kotlin.
The language also owes its growing popularity to its ease of use and other important features:
If you know the two leading languages in your field, it will give you a tangible advantage over your competitors. I've already mentioned that employers are positive about Kotlin programmers. And since knowing Kotlin automatically means knowing basic Java, you're definitely at an advantage. Anyway, you need to https://app-reviews.org/android-app-reviews/, learn different programming languages at least in order to choose the most suitable one for your future projects and team.
The creation of Android applications takes place inside the environment of Android Studio. It has two editors: a graphical editor and a text editor. The first, also known as the visual editor, is used to describe the project design, buttons, text input fields, popup windows, and so on. The second describes the entire functionality of the program. At this stage, when you have mastered all three technologies, you can safely start full-fledged mobile development for Android!
