The State of Kotlin | FOSDEM 2023

Kotlin ecosystem is rapidly evolving over the years and 2022 was not an exception. Let's gather to recap everything that happened with Kotlin in the past year and to have a closer look at the language roadmap: from the new K2 compiler, to stable Kotlin Multiplatform and beyond.

Talk did together with Sergei Rybalkin

Transcript

1. THE STATE OF KOTLIN
   Marco Gomiero @marcoGomier
   
   
   Sergei Rybalkin @lightdelay
   
   
   

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2. DISCLAIMER
   2
   

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3. CONF TALKS IN 2023 ARE SUPER EASY
   3
   

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4. HIGH LEVEL
   4
   https://www.jetbrains.com/lp/devecosystem-2022/kotlin/
   

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5. KOTLIN 2022 & 2023 IN 5 LETTERS
   5
   K2 KMP
   

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6. K2. SOLVING MAJOR INFRA PROBLEMS
   6
   ✦ IDE Stability & performance
   
   
   ✦ Build Speed
   
   
   ✦ Build Setup
   

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7. K2. SOLVING MAJOR INFRA PROBLEMS
   7
   

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8. K2. DEPRIORITISED
   8
   

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9. K2
   9
   ✦ K2 is in alpha with a promising impact on builds
   
   
   https://kotlinlang.org/docs/whatsnew17.html#new-kotlin-k2-compiler-for-the-jvm-in-alpha
   

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10. K2. FOR IMPATIENT
    10
    ✦ 1.6.21 to 1.7.x upgrade brings build improvements
    
    
    https://youtrack.jetbrains.com/issue/KT-48233/Switching-to-JVM-IR-backend-increases-compilation-time-by-more-than-15?
    _ga=2.68902353.1999403185.1669283102-592211788.1665648011&_gl=1*1fxko5p*_ga*NTkyMjExNzg4LjE2NjU2NDgwMTE.*_ga_9J976DJZ68*MTY2OTI4MzEwMi4zLjEuMTY2OTI4MzE4NS4wLjAuMA..#focus=Comments-27-6114542.0-0
    

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11. K2. BETA PLANS
    11
    ✦ Should be a fully-functional compiler
    
    
    ✦ Plans
    
    
    • Support the Multiplatform, Native, and JS backends.
    
    
    • Support Compose, kapt, KSP, Serializable, and other
    necessary plugins.
    https://youtrack.jetbrains.com/issue/KT-52604?_ga=2.93711642.642620354.1675451237-592211788.1665648011&_gl=1*df7plt*_ga*NTkyMjExNzg4LjE2NjU2NDgwMTE.*_ga_9J976DJZ68*MTY3NTQ1MTIzNy43LjAuMTY3NTQ1MTIzNy4wLjAuMA..
    

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12. K2. PLUGINS
    12
    ✦ kotlinx-serialization
    
    
    ✦ allopen, noarg
    
    
    ✦ lombok
    
    
    ✦ no support in KAPT
    
    
    ✦ no support in KSP
    

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13. K2. KAPT SUPPORT
    13
    

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14. K2. KAPT SUPPORT
    14
    🧐
    

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15. INTERESTING, WHAT THIS 2.0 MEAN
    15
    🧐
    

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16. K2. KOTLIN SYMBOL PROCESSING
    16
    

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17. K2. TESTING INFRA
    17
    

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18. K2 IDE
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    ✦ Performance
    
    
    ✦ Stability
    
    
    • K2 interaction with Analysis API
    
    
    ✦ Fewer features. A “Lightweight” release, as not all IDE
    features are implemented
    

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19. K2 IDE
    19
    ✦ Full code highlighting
    
    
    ✦ Basic code completion
    
    
    ✦ Debugger
    
    
    ✦ Basic Refactoring and Diagnostics
    
    
    ✦ Code formatter
    
    
    ✦ Run con
    fi
    gurations + gutters
    
    
    ✦ Gradle.kts support
    
    
    ✦ Kotlin Multiplatform support in all of the above features
    

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20. KOTLIN MULTIPLATFORM
    

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21. HIERARCHICAL PROJECT STRUCTURE
    ✦ Now enabled by default
    
    
    ✦ Share code between several similar targets:
    

    e.g. iosArm64 and iosX64
    21
    https://kotlinlang.org/docs/whatsnew1620.html#hierarchical-structure-support-for-multiplatform-projects
    1.6.20
    

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22. KOTLIN/NATIVE PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENTS
    ✦ 15% reduction in execution time
    
    
    ✦ 20% reduction in the code size of both release and debug
    binaries
    
    
    ✦ 26% reduction in the compilation time of release binaries
    22
    1.6.20
    https://kotlinlang.org/docs/whatsnew1620.html#performance-improvements
    

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23. NEW KOTLIN/NATIVE MEMORY MANAGER
    ✦ Now enabled by default
    
    
    ✦ From deferred reference-counting GC to tracing GC
    
    
    ✦ No restrictions on object sharing between threads
    
    
    ✦ Fully leak-free concurrent programming primitives
    
    
    ✦ No more freezing 🥶
    23
    https://kotlinlang.org/docs/whatsnew1720.html#the-new-kotlin-native-memory-manager-enabled-by-default
    https://blog.jetbrains.com/kotlin/2021/05/kotlin-native-memory-management-update/
    https://kotlinlang.org/docs/native-memory-manager.html
    1.7.20
    

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24. KOTLIN MULTIPLATFORM MOBILE PROMOTED TO BETA
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    1.7.20
    ✦
    🎉
    
    
    ✦ The technology is almost done and is safe to use in your
    projects
    
    
    ✦ Some more work on the toolchain is required
    
    
    ✦ Start using and learning KMM, it’s fun!
    https://blog.jetbrains.com/kotlin/2022/10/kmm-beta/
    

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25. IMPROVED OBJECTIVE-C/SWIFT INTEROPERABILITY
    25
    https://kotlinlang.org/docs/whatsnew18.html#improved-objective-c-swift-interoperability
    @ObjCName
    

    Specify a more idiomatic name in Swift or Objective-C, instead
    of renaming the Kotlin declaration.
    
    
    1.8.0
    

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26. IMPROVED OBJECTIVE-C/SWIFT INTEROPERABILITY
    26
    https://kotlinlang.org/docs/whatsnew18.html#improved-objective-c-swift-interoperability
    @HiddenFromObjC
    
    
    The Kotlin compiler will not export a function or property to
    Objective-C and, consequently, Swift.
    1.8.0
    

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27. IMPROVED OBJECTIVE-C/SWIFT INTEROPERABILITY
    27
    https://kotlinlang.org/docs/whatsnew18.html#improved-objective-c-swift-interoperability
    1.8.0
    @ShouldRefineInSwift
    
    
    The Kotlin compiler will mark a function or property as
    swift_private in the generated Objective-C API.
    

    Such declarations get the __ pre
    fi
    x, which makes them
    “invisible” to Swift code.
    

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28. NEW ANDROID SOURCE SET LAYOUT
    28
    1.8.0
    ✦ No more androidTest and androidAndroidTest 😅
    
    
    ✦ Say hello to androidUnitTest and androidInstrumentedTest
    https://kotlinlang.org/docs/whatsnew18.html#kotlin-multiplatform-a-new-android-source-set-layout
    

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29. NEW ANDROID SOURCE SET LAYOUT
    29
    1.8.0
    ✦ More clarity on the Manifest location
    https://kotlinlang.org/docs/whatsnew18.html#kotlin-multiplatform-a-new-android-source-set-layout
    

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30. NEW ANDROID SOURCE SET LAYOUT
    30
    1.8.0
    ✦ Enable the new layout with a Gradle Option
    
    
    kotlin.mpp.androidSourceSetLayoutVersion=2
    https://kotlinlang.org/docs/whatsnew18.html#kotlin-multiplatform-a-new-android-source-set-layout
    

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31. STABLE KOTLIN/JS IR COMPILER BACKEND
    31
    1.8.0
    ✦ Kotlin/JS IR compiler backend is now Stable
    
    
    ✦ Incremental compilation enabled by default
    
    
    ✦ All the three backends now works with the same IR for Kotlin
    code
    https://kotlinlang.org/docs/whatsnew18.html#stable-js-ir-compiler-backend
    

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32. KOTLIN/NATIVE: BINARY COMPATIBILITY BETWEEN INCREMENTAL RELEASES
    32
    https://youtrack.jetbrains.com/issue/KT-42293
    ✦ Releases from 1.4.0 to 1.8.0 are experimentally binary
    backward compatible.
    
    
    ✦ Processes have been set up to keep binary backward
    compatibility between releases
    

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33. COMPOSE MULTIPLATFORM
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    https://www.jetbrains.com/lp/compose-mpp/
    

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34. COMPOSE MULTIPLATFORM: 1.3.0
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    https://github.com/JetBrains/compose-jb/releases/tag/v1.3.0
    

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35. COMPOSE FOR IOS 🤯
    35
    https://github.com/JetBrains/compose-jb/tree/master/experimental/examples/falling-balls-mpp
    

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36. COMPOSE FOR IOS 🤯
    36
    https://github.com/touchlab/DroidconKotlin
    

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37. IN THIS YEAR ROADMAP 🔮
    37
    https://kotlinlang.org/docs/roadmap.html
    ✦ Improve the new Kotlin/Native memory manager robustness
    and performance and deprecate the old one
    
    
    ✦ Improve Kotlin/Native compilation time
    
    
    ✦ Improve exporting Kotlin code to Objective-C
    
    
    ✦ Stabilise klib: keep binary compatibility easier for library
    authors
    

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38. ✦ Promote Kotlin Multiplatform Mobile to Stable
    IN THIS YEAR ROADMAP 🔮
    38
    https://kotlinlang.org/docs/roadmap.html
    • Remove old and outdated pieces of the Multiplatform toolchain (non-hierarchical project support, old
    Gradle plugins, etc.).
    
    
    • Finalize the switch to the new Kotlin/Native memory model.
    
    
    • Provide clear compatibility guarantees for all pieces of the Multiplatform toolchain and support them
    with thorough testing and tight time-to-respond for any issues that might arise.
    
    
    • Improve Android support in Multiplatform projects.
    
    
    • Prototype the support for Kotlin Multiplatform in K2.
    
    
    • Stabilize the Multiplatform toolchain based on our adopters’ use cases.
    
    
    • Improve our build tool’s usability, including special support for the Android target in multiplatform
    projects.
    
    
    • Improve Kotlin/Native’s interoperability with the iOS world.
    
    
    • Make our onboarding more user-friendly and our documentation more comprehensive.
    

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39. THANK YOU
    Sergei Rybalkin
    
    
    @lightdelay
    Marco Gomiero
    
    
    @marcoGomier
    
    
    androiddev.social/@marcogom
    

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