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After a couple years of working all kinds of Android and iOS native development for clients, I finally got a chance to dig into React Native and it's been incre

After a couple years of working all kinds of Android and iOS native development for clients, I finally got a chance to dig into React Native and it's been incredibly fun so far! I hope it's not just the honeymoon phase but it seriously looks like a keeper framework, I've been able to build beautiful cross platform MVPs faster than I ever could before natively. And hobby-wise, I created an educational program with an entirely Kotlin stack, all the way from a Spring Boot backend to a TornadoFX desktop frontend - sharing all models with the backend and even having a local SQLite instance that mirrors the server side DB and enables distributed and delayed updates - mainly aimed at schools with zero to no Internet connectivity. It was incredibly fun and I got to submit PRs and issues to a bunch of cool projects. It's been a fun year!

sudeepto_dutta 8y ago
Hi phreak, I am a react native developer as well. Can you answer some of my questions ? * How was your experience in React Native (RN) when it comes to styling the components ? I find it very hard and sometimes confusing to have consistent styling between iOS and Android. * I have no native iOS or Android experience. Can you suggest me how shall I approach learning native app development ? * What resources did you selected to learn react native ? * Do you think one can learn kotlin without learning Java first? Or do you think that Java knowledge is beneficial or necessary for learning kotlin effectively ?
- phreack 8y ago
  Well, in order: - I haven't had any trouble using the RN css-like styles along with React-Navigation yet, what I've been writing looks consistent between devices, but I know I'll hit that issue eventually - My approach has been to just start making apps targeting real users, either from your own business or a client's, there are several pretty good tutorials to get started, and the people who use what you create will let you know what's important to focus on (and also motivate you to keep working!). - The react native + navigation documentation is a great starting point, but you'll still spend a while learning so your best bet is to partner up with a tutor and work alongside them to begin with, real experience is always where you get the most value at first. - Kotlin is in an incredibly good place right now for Android development so I believe you can skip Java at first, and when the time comes when you need to check it out, you'll find that it's quite clear to make out and write with a Kotlin background. An IDE to hold your hand is always a plus as well. Most of all, be sure to brush up on your basic algorithms and data structures, OOP design patterns, a dash of functional paradigm tools, mainstream architecture styles, and general good practices as you tackle on new technologies and you'll find out that there's a lot of overlap of all over the modern languages that translates directly. Good luck on your journey!

sudeepto_dutta 8y ago

Hi phreak, I am a react native developer as well. Can you answer some of my questions ? * How was your experience in React Native (RN) when it comes to styling the components ? I find it very hard and sometimes confusing to have consistent styling between iOS and Android. * I have no native iOS or Android experience. Can you suggest me how shall I approach learning native app development ? * What resources did you selected to learn react native ? * Do you think one can learn kotlin without learning Java first? Or do you think that Java knowledge is beneficial or necessary for learning kotlin effectively ?

phreack 8y ago
Well, in order: - I haven't had any trouble using the RN css-like styles along with React-Navigation yet, what I've been writing looks consistent between devices, but I know I'll hit that issue eventually - My approach has been to just start making apps targeting real users, either from your own business or a client's, there are several pretty good tutorials to get started, and the people who use what you create will let you know what's important to focus on (and also motivate you to keep working!). - The react native + navigation documentation is a great starting point, but you'll still spend a while learning so your best bet is to partner up with a tutor and work alongside them to begin with, real experience is always where you get the most value at first. - Kotlin is in an incredibly good place right now for Android development so I believe you can skip Java at first, and when the time comes when you need to check it out, you'll find that it's quite clear to make out and write with a Kotlin background. An IDE to hold your hand is always a plus as well. Most of all, be sure to brush up on your basic algorithms and data structures, OOP design patterns, a dash of functional paradigm tools, mainstream architecture styles, and general good practices as you tackle on new technologies and you'll find out that there's a lot of overlap of all over the modern languages that translates directly. Good luck on your journey!