Tuesday, April 9, 2013

[android-developers] Android from Java

Java is a dull OO language from the mid-90's. Jobs was right - Java is a ball and chain - and now a security hazard. The only sane reason to install the jdk is for android development.

It's time to liberate Android from Java.

Java source -> Java byte code -> Dalvik Byte code -> jit
To:
LiberatedScript -> Dalvik byte code -> jit 

The dalvik VM is thus free to make core improvements in speed, security and simplicity and:
- value types 
- properties
- blocks, async
- better use of multi-core graphics/cpu's. Renderscript - rather the core language/runtime should be efficient.
(Dalvik byte code is an artefact of the implementation and not - nor should ever be - a portable standard  as Java byte code attempted to be. So new byte codes are possible).

Google has another project to simplify browser programming called Dart.
But is there scope for evolving to some kind of unification in mobile and web development.

TypeScript - based on the next version of JS (ES6) - looks promising. Typescript:
- compiles to today's JS/ES5.
- has classes, modules, optional types/type inferencing - enables compilation to dalvik.
- has a readable, but succinct syntax (superior to Dart imo).
- LGPL license. (So even if it's an MS project the licence is sound).

It's quite easy to imagine using TypeScript as a *basis* for new language - but a 'new' language that would work with both JS and Dalvik and also offer the path to a new optimised runtime that could run on Android, Chrome/ChromeOS. and the server.

How may languages does Google need - Go, Dart, JS, Java, Python?

K.


--
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "Android Developers" group.
To post to this group, send email to android-developers@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
android-developers+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers?hl=en
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Android Developers" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to android-developers+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
 
 

No comments:

Post a Comment