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17 May 2019

The Hacker's Tribute Vol. 5: Kotlin, UX Trends and Google I/O

tech

Flutter, Kotlin, Jetpack, and much more! Dan ‘the Man’ Kowalski has our minds, keyboards, and hearts – read it now!

Welcome back, Coders!

Do you feel it? I think we’ve just produced our greatest issue.

The merry month of May is a spectacular affair. And that’s because of one thing – pluralism, and inclusivity. In other words, everyone should have a go! Last week, we focused on goliaths Visa, and Microsoft, amongst other household names.

This week, we turn to another familiar brand of daily medication – Google; the friendly giant. Having wrapped up their I/O 2019 conference last week, I’d like to enlighten you of some pleasant news from across the techosphere. Some might even call it ‘spectacular’. After all, sometimes we demand that vitamin-D boost.

Strap in, caffeinate, and appreciate – you’re in for an issue of endless love.

Yours Loyally,

Dan 'the Man'
      Kowalski

Dan ‘the Man’ Kowalski,

Editor In-Chief, The Hacker’s Tribute

1. Back to the Graal 

Was turning 19 nearly as exciting as your 18th or 21st birthday? It is for GraalVM! The fresh, new 19.0 edition is dubbed ‘mature and ready for production use’. Unlike inferior 19-year-old humans, GraalVM 19.0 has resolved its development issues, enhanced performance, and boasts a polyglot ability with Node.js and the JavaScript engine. Today’s teenagers could learn a thing or two.

https://medium.com/graalvm/announcing-graalvm-19-4590cf354df8

2. Gentle Flutter – Big Splash!

When a butterfly flutters its wings at I/O in California, the cyberworld feels a hurricane. Flutter now supports the web, including backing for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Dev support is also packed in for Chrome OS. Still missing that flutter fever? Get up to speed with a cheap training course, by App Brewery. Got it? Good, now go nail it.

https://medium.com/flutter-io/a-roundup-of-flutter-news-at-google-i-o-453bb3249981

3. Google I/OMG!

The Woodstock of developer conferences have left us beaming! Everything is improved – literally! Android Jetpack simplifies App design with Camera X, Architecture Components, and Jetpack Compose. Android Studio 3.5 completely refines workflows while Machine Learning, and the Android App Bundles are just as incredible! Kotlin’s a popular one too, which brings me to my next story.

https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2019/05/google-io-2019-empowering-developers-to-build-experiences-on-Android-Play.html

4. Speak Kotlin! Language of Programming Love

Didn’t I tell you about new and incredible things? Owing to its rockstar popularity, with over 50% usage by professional Android Devs, Kotlin now comes officially recommended! Lovers of C++, and Java can still expect continuity – so rest assured, oldschoolers ?.

https://techcrunch.com/2019/05/07/kotlin-is-now-googles-preferred-language-for-android-app-development/  

5. Jetpack Unlocks the Universe 

Expanding on a particularly celestial Android feature; Jetpack Compose – written in Kotlin – hosts a cosmic array of delights. It’s unbundled from platform releases, has fewer stack flowcharts, and above all – less of a need for writing. It’s the agile future of Android – and it’s flying us to the moon! Sinatra’s pleased – and so are we.

https://medium.com/q42-engineering/android-jetpack-compose-895b7fd04bf4

6. The UX Trends

UX is getting emotional! Just as I/O is about improving our lives, Vamsi Batchu of UX Collective points us to a future of intuitive design. It’s a great read, especially regarding improved conversation design, and personalized App experiences. Gestures are making headway too, with in-depth analysis. If this forecast rings true, this’ll be my favourite year.

https://uxdesign.cc/ux-design-trends-2019-205b0added8a

Knowledge is free, and shared. We’re always on the lookout for new insights into the world of App Development. Get in touch with us, and we’ll give you a heads up on your next big idea.

We’ll be in touch with more news, as it happens!



Author

Hackers of the world dream to be him. And that’s an understatement. With methods decades ahead of cyberspace, he’s proceeded only by his own reputation. ‘The Man’ infamous for single-handedly causing the ’08 global financial meltdown, he dropped off-grid searching for purpose. He twice-dominated each of the Himalayan peaks, negotiated the rift valleys of Africa, and swam the Amazonian Basin end-to-end. It was in Siberia where we caught up to him – convincing him to work for the ‘good guys’. The veteran’s veteran of coding, now confidently within our ranks, is finally a force for good. Just don’t test him.