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Ask HN: What is the best language for learning to build an Android app?

6 points by ctrx 13y ago

I want to get in the app business, for androids but have no idea on which coding language to learn. What is the best one to use/easiest?

kylemaxwell 13y ago
Those are very different questions. Do you already know a language? Is it Java (the closest thing to "native" Android seems to have)? If not, is it Java-like, or is the toolchain available for Android (e.g. Python)? I don't think there's an easy, one-size-fits-all answer to this question.
- ctrx 13y ago
  Don't know any languages, was learning html5 a bit but i just wanted to know which would be the best option for an android app
primitivesuave 13y ago
You could go down the path most traveled and learn Java - this is preferred, because the Android developer site has all its documentation in Java. However, if you're averse to Java, you can also use C# (xamarin.com)
kintamanimatt 13y ago
Learn Java 6 (not 7!) and optionally C++/C if you're going to be doing something computationally expensive that you wouldn't want to run in the Dalvik VM.
elaineo 13y ago
Another vote for Java, because when learning to build an Android app, you'll be searching for answers on stackoverflow every 15 minutes, and it's easier to use the language everyone else is using.
Zigurd 13y ago
While some other JVM languages are usable at an experimental level with Android, the only realistic choice for a complete beginner is Java. Since you say you don't know any language yet, you should start with a very basic book on Java, like Head First Java. Then you should get a more-comprehensive book like Thinking In Java to refer to as you start your first project. While there are some good Android-specific beginner's books, I would start with the online tutorial and see how far that takes you. By that time the 2nd edition of Learning Android will be out.
EdwardDiego 13y ago
I'll also say Java - Scala's possible, but slow and fiddly (last time I tried it, you had to tree-shake the app using Proguard because the Scala stdlib has a real hard time fitting into Dalvik's hardcoded limitations of 65K ish symbols). Kotlin is a doddle to get working, but it's alpha as hell, so only use for experiments.
DarkStar851 13y ago
Java or C# / Xamarin if you don't mind a small investment. Personally I prefer C# / Xamarin. If you're a student, contact their pre-sales, they'll give you a nice discount.
krapp 13y ago
Can someone suggest a good online course or set of tutorials for learning to build Android apps?
- Zigurd 13y ago
  I would use Google's online tutorial, with one caveat: The section on the use of Fragment for scale-able UI assumes you want to use the Support Library for back-compatibility. This creates some complications and it is perfectly valid to choose not to support Android 2.3 at this point. The Support Library has two purposes: To provide back compatibility for classes like Fragment that are not supported in Android 2.3 and earlier, and to provide new classes that are not part of any Android release yet. Especially for a beginner, you will have an easier time with Action Bar and Fragment if you are not using the Support Library.

6 points by ctrx 13y ago

I want to get in the app business, for androids but have no idea on which coding language to learn. What is the best one to use/easiest?

kylemaxwell 13y ago

Those are very different questions. Do you already know a language? Is it Java (the closest thing to "native" Android seems to have)? If not, is it Java-like, or is the toolchain available for Android (e.g. Python)? I don't think there's an easy, one-size-fits-all answer to this question.

ctrx 13y ago
Don't know any languages, was learning html5 a bit but i just wanted to know which would be the best option for an android app

primitivesuave 13y ago

You could go down the path most traveled and learn Java - this is preferred, because the Android developer site has all its documentation in Java. However, if you're averse to Java, you can also use C# (xamarin.com)

kintamanimatt 13y ago

Learn Java 6 (not 7!) and optionally C++/C if you're going to be doing something computationally expensive that you wouldn't want to run in the Dalvik VM.

elaineo 13y ago

Another vote for Java, because when learning to build an Android app, you'll be searching for answers on stackoverflow every 15 minutes, and it's easier to use the language everyone else is using.

Zigurd 13y ago

While some other JVM languages are usable at an experimental level with Android, the only realistic choice for a complete beginner is Java. Since you say you don't know any language yet, you should start with a very basic book on Java, like Head First Java. Then you should get a more-comprehensive book like Thinking In Java to refer to as you start your first project. While there are some good Android-specific beginner's books, I would start with the online tutorial and see how far that takes you. By that time the 2nd edition of Learning Android will be out.

EdwardDiego 13y ago

I'll also say Java - Scala's possible, but slow and fiddly (last time I tried it, you had to tree-shake the app using Proguard because the Scala stdlib has a real hard time fitting into Dalvik's hardcoded limitations of 65K ish symbols). Kotlin is a doddle to get working, but it's alpha as hell, so only use for experiments.

DarkStar851 13y ago

Java or C# / Xamarin if you don't mind a small investment. Personally I prefer C# / Xamarin. If you're a student, contact their pre-sales, they'll give you a nice discount.

krapp 13y ago

Can someone suggest a good online course or set of tutorials for learning to build Android apps?

Zigurd 13y ago
I would use Google's online tutorial, with one caveat: The section on the use of Fragment for scale-able UI assumes you want to use the Support Library for back-compatibility. This creates some complications and it is perfectly valid to choose not to support Android 2.3 at this point. The Support Library has two purposes: To provide back compatibility for classes like Fragment that are not supported in Android 2.3 and earlier, and to provide new classes that are not part of any Android release yet. Especially for a beginner, you will have an easier time with Action Bar and Fragment if you are not using the Support Library.