Posts Tagged ‘JetBrains’
[KotlinConf2017] What’s New & Cool in Kotlin Tools
Lecturer
Dmitry Jemerov is a senior software engineer and the Kotlin IDE team lead at JetBrains, where he drives the development of tools and plugins to enhance Kotlin’s developer experience. With extensive experience in building IntelliJ IDEA plugins and supporting build tools like Gradle, Maven, and Ant, Dmitry has played a pivotal role in shaping Kotlin’s ecosystem. His leadership ensures that Kotlin’s tooling aligns with the language’s pragmatic design, fostering productivity across diverse development environments.
Abstract
Kotlin’s tooling ecosystem is integral to its success as a modern programming language, enabling developers to create efficient, cross-platform applications. This article analyzes Dmitry Jemerov’s presentation at KotlinConf 2017, which showcases new features in the Kotlin plugin for IntelliJ IDEA, with a focus on version 1.2 enhancements. It explores the context of Kotlin’s tooling evolution, the methodology behind multiplatform project support, incremental compilation advancements, and integration with build systems. The analysis highlights the implications of these innovations for developer productivity and cross-platform development, emphasizing Kotlin’s commitment to seamless, high-performance workflows.
Context of Kotlin Tooling Evolution
KotlinConf 2017, held in San Francisco from November 1–3, 2017, marked a significant milestone for Kotlin, reflecting its rapid adoption following Google’s endorsement for Android development. Dmitry Jemerov’s presentation focused on the Kotlin plugin for IntelliJ IDEA, a cornerstone of the language’s developer experience. As Kotlin expanded beyond JVM-based applications to multiplatform projects, including JavaScript and native targets, the need for robust tooling became paramount. Dmitry’s talk addressed this demand, showcasing features designed to streamline development across diverse platforms while maintaining Kotlin’s hallmark simplicity and interoperability.
The context of Dmitry’s presentation reflects the challenges of supporting a versatile language like Kotlin, which targets JVM, JavaScript, and native platforms. Developers required tools that could handle common and platform-specific code seamlessly, integrate with build systems like Gradle, and optimize compilation for performance. Dmitry’s leadership in the Kotlin IDE team positioned him to address these needs, demonstrating how JetBrains’ tools empower developers to tackle complex, multiplatform projects with efficiency and confidence.
Multiplatform Project Support
Dmitry’s methodology for supporting multiplatform projects centers on structuring Kotlin projects into common and platform-specific modules. Common modules contain shared Kotlin code, ensuring reusability across platforms, while platform-specific modules incorporate language-specific code, such as Java for JVM or JavaScript for web applications. The Kotlin compiler integrates these modules, producing artifacts like JAR files or APKs tailored to each platform’s requirements. This approach enables developers to write shared business logic once, reducing duplication and ensuring consistency across Android, iOS, and web environments.
In his live demos, Dmitry showcased how IntelliJ IDEA’s Kotlin plugin facilitates this structure, providing seamless navigation between common and platform-specific code. The plugin’s ability to combine common Kotlin code with platform-specific sources, such as Java for JVM modules, streamlines the build process. This methodology enhances developer productivity by simplifying project configuration and ensuring that multiplatform development remains intuitive, even for complex applications spanning multiple targets.
Incremental Compilation and Build Optimization
A key innovation highlighted by Dmitry was the advancement of incremental compilation across Kotlin’s target platforms. Incremental compilation optimizes build times by recompiling only modified code, a critical feature for large projects. For JVM targets, incremental compilation was already robust, but Dmitry announced the near-completion of JavaScript incremental compilation for Kotlin 1.1.6, with plans to extend it to native and multiplatform projects. This ensures that developers experience minimal delays during development, even in complex, multi-module environments.
Dmitry also emphasized integration with Gradle’s build cache and incremental compilation features, aligning Kotlin’s tooling with industry-standard build systems. By embedding IntelliJ inspections into continuous integration pipelines like TeamCity, the Kotlin plugin enables automated code quality checks, failing builds when issues exceed defined thresholds. This methodology reduces manual oversight, ensuring that code quality remains high without impeding development speed, particularly for teams managing large codebases.
IDE Integration and Developer Experience
The Kotlin plugin for IntelliJ IDEA enhances developer experience through advanced IDE features, such as code completion, refactoring, and inspections. Dmitry demonstrated how the plugin supports multiplatform projects with context-aware suggestions, simplifying the development of common and platform-specific code. The plugin’s integration with IntelliJ’s CI server allows for real-time code analysis, catching potential issues during builds. This seamless integration ensures that developers can focus on coding rather than configuring tools, aligning with Kotlin’s philosophy of getting out of the developer’s way.
Dmitry’s presentation also highlighted the plugin’s configurability, allowing developers to customize inspections and thresholds to suit project needs. While acknowledging the current limitations, such as slower inspection speeds, he outlined plans for future optimizations, including SonarQube integration. These enhancements underscore JetBrains’ commitment to delivering a fast, unobtrusive development experience, making Kotlin’s tooling a competitive advantage for multiplatform and high-performance applications.
Implications for Software Development
The advancements in Kotlin’s tooling, as presented by Dmitry, have profound implications for software development. Multiplatform project support enables developers to create unified codebases for diverse platforms, reducing maintenance costs and fostering code reuse. Incremental compilation and build optimizations address the performance bottlenecks of large-scale projects, enhancing productivity for teams working on Android, web, or native applications. The integration of IDE features with build systems ensures consistent code quality, making Kotlin a compelling choice for enterprises and startups alike.
For the broader ecosystem, these tools strengthen Kotlin’s position as a versatile, developer-friendly language. The ability to seamlessly integrate with Gradle and IntelliJ IDEA positions Kotlin as a leader in modern development workflows, challenging traditional languages like Java. Dmitry’s invitation for community feedback at JetBrains’ booth and office hours reflects a collaborative approach, ensuring that tooling evolves in response to real-world needs. As Kotlin’s ecosystem grows, its tooling innovations will continue to drive adoption across diverse development domains.
Conclusion
Dmitry Jemerov’s presentation at KotlinConf 2017 illuminated the transformative potential of Kotlin’s tooling, particularly with the IntelliJ IDEA plugin’s version 1.2 enhancements. By supporting multiplatform projects, optimizing incremental compilation, and integrating with build systems, these tools empower developers to create efficient, cross-platform applications. The focus on developer experience, through intuitive IDE features and automated inspections, aligns with Kotlin’s pragmatic design philosophy. As JetBrains continues to refine these tools, they solidify Kotlin’s role as a leading language for modern software development, fostering productivity and innovation.
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[KotlinConf2017] Introduction to Coroutines
Lecturer
Roman Elizarov is a distinguished software developer with over 16 years of experience, currently serving as a senior engineer at JetBrains, where he has been a key contributor to Kotlin’s development. Previously, Roman worked at Devexperts, designing high-performance trading software and market data delivery systems capable of processing millions of events per second. His expertise in Java, JVM, and real-time data processing has shaped Kotlin’s coroutine framework, making him a leading authority on asynchronous programming. Roman’s contributions to Kotlin’s open-source ecosystem and his focus on performance optimizations underscore his impact on modern software development.
Abstract
Kotlin’s introduction of coroutines as a first-class language feature addresses the challenges of asynchronous programming in modern applications. This article analyzes Roman Elizarov’s presentation at KotlinConf 2017, which provides a comprehensive introduction to Kotlin coroutines, distinguishing them from thread-based concurrency and other coroutine implementations like C#’s async/await. It explores the context of asynchronous programming, the methodology behind coroutines, their practical applications, and their implications for scalable software development. The analysis highlights how coroutines simplify asynchronous code, enhance scalability, and integrate with existing Java libraries, offering a robust solution for handling concurrent tasks.
Context of Asynchronous Programming
The rise of asynchronous programming reflects the demands of modern applications, from real-time mobile interfaces to server-side systems handling thousands of users. Roman Elizarov, speaking at KotlinConf 2017 in San Francisco, addressed this shift, noting the limitations of traditional thread-based concurrency in monolithic applications. Threads, while effective for certain tasks, introduce complexity and resource overhead, particularly in high-concurrency scenarios like microservices or real-time data processing. Kotlin, designed by JetBrains for JVM interoperability, offers a pragmatic alternative through coroutines, a first-class language feature distinct from other implementations like Quasar or JavaFlow.
Roman contextualized coroutines within Kotlin’s ecosystem, emphasizing their role in simplifying asynchronous programming. Unlike callback-based approaches, which lead to “callback hell,” or reactive streams, which require complex chaining, coroutines enable synchronous-like code that is both readable and scalable. The presentation’s focus on live examples demonstrated Kotlin’s ability to handle concurrent actions—such as user connections, animations, or server requests—while maintaining performance and developer productivity, setting the stage for a deeper exploration of their mechanics.
Methodology of Kotlin Coroutines
Roman’s presentation detailed the mechanics of Kotlin coroutines, focusing on their core components: suspending functions and coroutine builders. Suspending functions allow developers to write asynchronous code that appears synchronous, pausing execution without blocking threads. This is achieved through Kotlin’s compiler, which transforms suspending functions into state machines, preserving execution state without the overhead of thread context switching. Roman demonstrated launching coroutines using builders like launch and async, which initiate concurrent tasks and allow waiting for their completion, streamlining complex workflows.
A key aspect of the methodology is wrapping existing Java asynchronous libraries into suspending functions. Roman showcased how developers can encapsulate callback-based APIs, such as those for network requests or database queries, into coroutines, transforming convoluted code into clear, sequential logic. The open-source Kotlinx Coroutines library, actively developed on GitHub, provides these tools, with experimental status indicating ongoing refinement. Roman emphasized backward compatibility, ensuring that even experimental features remain production-ready, encouraging developers to adopt coroutines with confidence.
Applications and Scalability
The practical applications of coroutines, as demonstrated by Roman, span mobile, server-side, and real-time systems. In mobile applications, coroutines simplify UI updates and background tasks, ensuring responsive interfaces without blocking the main thread. On the server side, coroutines enable handling thousands of concurrent connections, critical for microservices and high-throughput systems like trading platforms. Roman’s live examples illustrated how coroutines manage multiple tasks—such as animations or user sessions—efficiently, leveraging lightweight state management to scale beyond traditional threading models.
The scalability of coroutines stems from their thread-agnostic design. Unlike threads, which consume significant resources, coroutines operate within a single thread, resuming execution as needed. Roman explained that garbage collection handles coroutine state naturally, maintaining references to suspended computations without additional overhead. This approach makes coroutines ideal for high-concurrency scenarios, where traditional threads would lead to performance bottlenecks. The ability to integrate with Java libraries further enhances their applicability, allowing developers to modernize legacy systems without extensive refactoring.
Implications for Software Development
Kotlin coroutines represent a paradigm shift in asynchronous programming, offering a balance of simplicity and power. By eliminating callback complexity, they enhance code readability, reducing maintenance costs and improving developer productivity. Roman’s emphasis on production-readiness and backward compatibility reassures enterprises adopting Kotlin for critical systems. The experimental status of coroutines, coupled with JetBrains’ commitment to incorporating community feedback, fosters a collaborative development model, ensuring that coroutines evolve to meet real-world needs.
The implications extend beyond individual projects to the broader software ecosystem. Coroutines enable developers to build scalable, responsive applications, from mobile apps to high-performance servers, without sacrificing code clarity. Their integration with Java libraries bridges the gap between legacy and modern systems, making Kotlin a versatile choice for diverse use cases. Roman’s invitation for community contributions via GitHub underscores the potential for coroutines to shape the future of asynchronous programming, influencing both Kotlin’s development and the JVM ecosystem at large.
Conclusion
Roman Elizarov’s introduction to Kotlin coroutines at KotlinConf 2017 provided a compelling vision for asynchronous programming. By combining suspending functions, coroutine builders, and seamless Java interoperability, coroutines address the challenges of modern concurrency with elegance and efficiency. The methodology’s focus on simplicity and scalability empowers developers to create robust, high-performance applications. As Kotlin continues to evolve, coroutines remain a cornerstone of its innovation, offering a transformative approach to handling concurrent tasks and reinforcing Kotlin’s position as a leading programming language.
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[KotlinConf2017] Opening Keynote
Lecturer
The Opening Keynote of KotlinConf 2017 features Maxim Shafirov, Andrey Breslav, Dmitry Jemerov, and Stephanie Cuthbertson. Maxim Shafirov, CEO of JetBrains, has led the company’s efforts in developing innovative developer tools, including IntelliJ IDEA and Kotlin. Andrey Breslav, Kotlin’s lead designer, brings a deep understanding of language design, focusing on pragmatic solutions for JVM developers. Dmitry Jemerov, a senior developer at JetBrains, contributes technical expertise to Kotlin’s development. Stephanie Cuthbertson, involved with Android’s adoption of Kotlin, offers insights into its mobile ecosystem impact. Their collective leadership has driven Kotlin’s growth as a modern programming language.
Abstract
The Opening Keynote of KotlinConf 2017, delivered in San Francisco from November 1–3, 2017, set the tone for the inaugural Kotlin conference. This article examines the keynote’s exploration of Kotlin’s rapid rise, its strategic vision, and its impact on the developer community. Led by JetBrains’ leadership, the keynote highlighted Kotlin’s adoption in Android, its multiplatform ambitions, and the collaborative efforts driving its ecosystem. The analysis delves into the context of Kotlin’s emergence, the technical and community-driven advancements presented, and the implications for its future in software development.
Context of Kotlin’s Emergence
KotlinConf 2017 marked a significant milestone as the first conference dedicated to Kotlin, a language developed by JetBrains to enhance Java’s capabilities while ensuring seamless JVM interoperability. Held in San Francisco, the event attracted 1,200 attendees and sold out, reflecting Kotlin’s growing popularity. The keynote, led by Maxim Shafirov, emphasized the language’s recent endorsement by Google as a first-class language for Android development, a pivotal moment that accelerated its adoption. With 150 talk submissions from 110 speakers, the conference required an additional track, underscoring the community’s enthusiasm and the language’s broad appeal.
The keynote contextualized Kotlin’s rise within the evolving landscape of software development, where developers sought modern, concise languages to address Java’s verbosity and complexity. Maxim and Andrey highlighted Kotlin’s design philosophy, focusing on readability, type safety, and ease of adoption. The event’s organization, supported by Trifork and a program committee, ensured a diverse range of topics, from Android development to server-side applications, reflecting Kotlin’s versatility and the community’s collaborative spirit.
Technical Advancements and Multiplatform Vision
Andrey Breslav’s segment of the keynote outlined Kotlin’s technical strengths and future directions, particularly its multiplatform capabilities. Kotlin’s ability to simplify functional programming and reduce boilerplate code was a key focus, with the compiler handling complex type inference to enhance developer productivity. The keynote introduced plans for common native libraries, enabling shared code for I/O, networking, and serialization across platforms like iOS and Android. This multiplatform vision aimed to unify development workflows, reducing fragmentation and enabling developers to write platform-agnostic code.
The keynote also addressed Kotlin’s experimental features, such as coroutines, which were in active development. Andrey emphasized backward compatibility, ensuring that even experimental features would remain stable in production environments. This commitment to reliability, coupled with tools to facilitate migration to finalized designs, reassured developers of Kotlin’s suitability for enterprise applications. The technical advancements presented underscored Kotlin’s potential to bridge diverse development ecosystems, from mobile to native platforms.
Community Engagement and Ecosystem Growth
The keynote highlighted the pivotal role of the Kotlin community in driving the language’s success. Maxim and Dmitry acknowledged the contributions of partners like Gradle and Spring, which enhanced Kotlin’s interoperability with existing tools. The conference provided platforms for engagement, including office hours for bug reporting and voting mechanisms to gather feedback. These initiatives empowered developers to influence Kotlin’s evolution, fostering a sense of ownership within the community.
The keynote also celebrated the social aspects of KotlinConf, with events like the keynote party featuring live music and networking opportunities. These gatherings strengthened community ties, encouraging collaboration among developers, startups, and Fortune 500 companies adopting Kotlin. The emphasis on community-driven growth highlighted Kotlin’s role as a collaborative project, with JetBrains actively seeking feedback to refine features and address pain points, ensuring the language’s relevance and adaptability.
Implications for Software Development
KotlinConf 2017’s keynote underscored Kotlin’s transformative potential in software development. Its adoption by 17% of Android projects at the time signaled its growing influence in mobile development, where it simplified tasks like UI design and asynchronous programming. The multiplatform vision promised to extend these benefits to iOS and other platforms, reducing development complexity and fostering code reuse. For enterprises, Kotlin’s production-readiness and support for high-quality codebases offered a compelling alternative to Java.
The keynote’s focus on community engagement set a precedent for inclusive development, encouraging contributions from diverse stakeholders. The promise of recorded sessions ensured global accessibility, amplifying the conference’s impact. For the industry, KotlinConf 2017 highlighted the shift toward modern languages that prioritize developer experience, positioning Kotlin as a leader in this transition. The keynote’s strategic vision laid the groundwork for Kotlin’s continued growth, influencing both individual developers and large-scale projects.
Conclusion
The Opening Keynote of KotlinConf 2017 encapsulated the excitement and ambition surrounding Kotlin’s rise as a modern programming language. By highlighting its technical strengths, multiplatform potential, and vibrant community, Maxim, Andrey, Dmitry, and Stephanie positioned Kotlin as a transformative force in software development. The keynote’s emphasis on collaboration, innovation, and developer empowerment underscored Kotlin’s role in shaping the future of programming. As JetBrains continues to evolve Kotlin, the insights from KotlinConf 2017 remain a cornerstone of its journey, inspiring developers to embrace its capabilities.
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[KotlinConf2017] Highlights
Lecturer
The KotlinConf 2017 Highlights presentation features contributions from multiple speakers, including Maxim Shafirov, Andrey Breslav, Dmitry Jemerov, and Stephanie Cuthbertson. Maxim Shafirov serves as the CEO of JetBrains, the company behind Kotlin’s development, with a extensive background in software tools and IDEs. Andrey Breslav, the lead designer of Kotlin, has been instrumental in shaping the language’s pragmatic approach to JVM-based development. Dmitry Jemerov, a senior developer at JetBrains, contributes to Kotlin’s technical advancements. Stephanie Cuthbertson, associated with Android’s adoption of Kotlin, brings expertise in mobile development ecosystems. Their collective efforts underscore JetBrains’ commitment to fostering innovative programming solutions.
Abstract
The inaugural KotlinConf 2017, held in San Francisco from November 1–3, 2017, marked a significant milestone for the Kotlin programming language, celebrating its rapid adoption and community growth. This article analyzes the key themes presented in the conference highlights, emphasizing Kotlin’s rise as a modern, production-ready language for Android and beyond. It explores the context of Kotlin’s adoption, the community’s enthusiasm, and the strategic vision for its future, driven by JetBrains and supported by industry partners. The implications of Kotlin’s growing ecosystem, from startups to Fortune 500 companies, are examined, highlighting its role in enhancing developer productivity and code quality.
Context of KotlinConf 2017
KotlinConf 2017 emerged as the first dedicated conference for Kotlin, a language developed by JetBrains to address Java’s limitations while maintaining strong interoperability with the JVM. The event, which sold out with 1,200 attendees, reflected Kotlin’s surging popularity, particularly after Google’s announcement of first-class support for Kotlin on Android earlier that year. The conference featured over 150 talk submissions from 110 speakers, necessitating an additional track to accommodate the demand. This context underscores Kotlin’s appeal as a concise, readable, and modern language, appealing to developers across mobile, server-side, and functional programming domains.
The enthusiasm at KotlinConf was palpable, with Maxim noting the vibrant community discussions and the colorful atmosphere of the event’s social gatherings. The involvement of partners like Trifork and the presence of a program committee ensured a high-quality selection of talks, fostering a collaborative environment. Kotlin’s adoption by 17% of Android projects at the time, coupled with its use in both startups and Fortune 500 companies, highlighted its versatility and production-readiness, setting the stage for the conference’s focus on innovation and community-driven growth.
Community and Ecosystem Growth
A key theme of KotlinConf 2017 was the rapid expansion of Kotlin’s community and ecosystem. The conference showcased the language’s appeal to developers seeking a modern alternative to Java. Speakers emphasized Kotlin’s readability and ease of onboarding, which allowed teams to adopt it swiftly. The compiler’s ability to handle complex type inference and error checking was highlighted as a significant advantage, enabling developers to focus on business logic rather than boilerplate code. This focus on developer experience resonated with attendees, many of whom were already coding in Kotlin or exploring its potential for Android and server-side applications.
The event also highlighted the community’s role in driving Kotlin’s evolution. Discussions with contributors from Gradle, Spring, and other technologies underscored collaborative efforts to enhance Kotlin’s interoperability and tooling. The conference’s success, with its diverse speaker lineup and vibrant social events, fostered a sense of shared purpose, encouraging developers to contribute to Kotlin’s open-source ecosystem. This community-driven approach was pivotal in positioning Kotlin as a language that balances innovation with practicality, appealing to both individual developers and large organizations.
Strategic Vision for Kotlin
The keynote speakers outlined a forward-looking vision for Kotlin, emphasizing its potential to unify development across platforms. Maxim and Andrey highlighted plans to expand Kotlin’s multiplatform capabilities, particularly for native and iOS development, through initiatives like common native technology previews. These efforts aimed to provide shared libraries for I/O, networking, and serialization, enabling developers to write platform-agnostic code. The focus on backward compatibility, even for experimental features, reassured developers of Kotlin’s stability, encouraging adoption in production environments.
The conference also addressed practical challenges, such as bug reporting and session accessibility. The provision of office hours and voting mechanisms ensured attendee feedback could shape Kotlin’s future. The acknowledgment of minor issues, like an iOS app bug, demonstrated JetBrains’ commitment to transparency and iterative improvement. This strategic vision, combining technical innovation with community engagement, positioned Kotlin as a language poised for long-term growth and influence in the software development landscape.
Implications for Developers and Industry
KotlinConf 2017 underscored Kotlin’s transformative impact on software development. Its adoption by major companies and startups alike highlighted its ability to deliver high-quality, maintainable code. The conference’s emphasis on Android integration reflected Kotlin’s role in simplifying mobile development, reducing complexity in areas like UI design and asynchronous programming. Beyond Android, Kotlin’s applicability to server-side and functional programming broadened its appeal, offering a versatile tool for diverse use cases.
For developers, KotlinConf provided a platform to learn from industry leaders and share best practices, fostering a collaborative ecosystem. The promise of recorded sessions ensured accessibility, extending the conference’s reach to a global audience. For the industry, Kotlin’s growth signaled a shift toward modern, developer-friendly languages, challenging Java’s dominance while leveraging its ecosystem. The conference’s success set a precedent for future events, reinforcing Kotlin’s role as a catalyst for innovation in software engineering.
Conclusion
KotlinConf 2017 marked a pivotal moment for Kotlin, celebrating its rapid adoption and vibrant community. By showcasing its technical strengths, community-driven growth, and strategic vision, the conference positioned Kotlin as a leading language for modern development. The emphasis on readability, interoperability, and multiplatform potential highlighted Kotlin’s ability to address diverse programming needs. As JetBrains and its community continue to innovate, KotlinConf 2017 remains a landmark event, demonstrating the language’s transformative potential and setting the stage for its enduring impact.