What is Android Lint and how it helps write maintainable code
When developers are not careful enough, things can go south. Classic developer oversights include usage of an API added in the newer version that is not supported in the old versions, actions that require specific permissions, missing translations, just to name a few.
Articles
Kotlin Inline Classes – How they work and when you should use them
Kotlin introduced inline classes with version 1.3 as an experimental feature. You should be aware that their implementation can still change in future releases, but it’s already a great time to learn about them now. Inline classes add a simple tool we can use to wrap some other type without adding runtime overhead through additional heap allocations. In this article, we want to see how inline classes in Kotlin work and when it makes sense to use them.
Exploring Android Q: Bubbles
A few weeks back we saw the announcement of the Android Q beta release 🎉 With this version of Android comes a collection of exciting changes which we need to get our apps ready for. In this set of articles I’m going to be diving into each one of these so that we are fully prepared for getting our apps ready!
Improving app performance with ART optimizing profiles in the cloud
In Android Pie we launched ART optimizing profiles in Play Cloud, a new optimization feature that greatly improves the application startup time after a new install or update. On average, we have observed that apps start 15% faster (cold startup) across a variety of devices. Some hero cases even show 30%+ faster startup times. One of the most important aspects is that users get this for free, without any effort from their side or from developers!
Libraries
Videos/Podcasts
157: Effective Java Item# 20 – Prefer interfaces to abstract classes
In this episode, Donn talks about Item #20 in the Effective Java book (third series) by Joshua Bloch. He discusses why you should think about using interfaces over abstract classes, how they can add mixin like behavior to retrofit existing classes with new behavior, default methods, skeleton implementations and more.
Class of the week
AtomicFile
Static library support version of the framework's AtomicFile, a helper class for performing atomic operations on a file by creating a backup file until a write has successfully completed. Atomic file guarantees file integrity by ensuring that a file has been completely written and sync'd to disk before removing its backup. As long as the backup file exists, the original file is considered to be invalid (left over from a previous attempt to write the file).
Beyond Android
The Quantum Computer: Annihilator of Contemporary Blockchain Technology
With the popularity of cryptocurrencies on the rise, specialists in the area worry about how, when it comes about, quantum computers will threaten blockchain technology, which at the moment still lacks reliable data security.