What is Kotlin?

Kotlin is a statically-typed programming language developed by JetBrains that runs on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). It was officially released in 2011 and became an official language for Android development in 2017. The name "Kotlin" comes from Kotlin Island near St. Petersburg, Russia, following JetBrains' tradition of naming languages after islands.

Statically-typed means that the type of every variable is known at compile time (before the program runs), which helps catch errors early and makes your code more reliable.

History and Evolution

JetBrains created Kotlin to address limitations they encountered while working with Java. They wanted a language that was:

• More concise and expressive

• Safer from common programming errors

• Fully compatible with existing Java code

• Pragmatic and focused on developer productivity

The language went through several years of development and refinement based on feedback from the developer community before reaching version 1.0 in February 2016.

Why Kotlin is Popular

It's concise - You can write less code to do the same thing. For example, creating a simple class with properties that would take 20 lines in Java might only take 3-4 lines in Kotlin.

It's safe - Kotlin helps prevent common programming mistakes, especially the dreaded "null pointer exception" (when your program crashes because it tries to use something that doesn't exist).

It works with Java - You can use Kotlin and Java together in the same project. All your existing Java libraries and frameworks work perfectly with Kotlin.

It's versatile - You can use Kotlin for Android apps, web servers, desktop applications, and even iOS apps (through Kotlin Multiplatform).

Core Philosophy and Design Goals

Pragmatism

Kotlin wasn't created to explore new programming language theory. It was designed to solve real-world problems that developers face daily. Every feature was added because it makes practical development easier.

Interoperability

Kotlin was built from day one to work seamlessly with Java. You can call Java code from Kotlin and vice versa without any special bridges or wrappers. This means you can gradually adopt Kotlin in existing projects.

Safety

The language includes features that help prevent common bugs, particularly null pointer exceptions, which are one of the most frequent causes of crashes in Java applications.

Conciseness

Kotlin reduces boilerplate code significantly compared to Java, making code easier to read and maintain.