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Is Kotlin Multiplatform Replacing Flutter?

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Re: Is Kotlin Multiplatform Replacing Flutter?

#21

Post by aloha2436 »

kbcool wrote: post #9

Since when was Flutter the "go-to solution for cross-platform development"? Maybe for hobbyists but in the corporate space it's still React Native. The problem with Flutter, and this extends even further with KMP is that the scope of your skills is limited to making mobile apps whereas with React Native you are learning and using skills that can apply to a complete stack. KMP is even worse in this regard as they expe…

> The problem with Flutter, and this extends even further with KMP is that the scope of your skills is limited to making mobile apps whereas with React Native you are learning and using skills that can apply to a complete stack.

I mean, Kotlin on the backend is quite good in my experience, I would say you can definitely run a full stack off of it.

Re: Is Kotlin Multiplatform Replacing Flutter?

#22

Post by wg0 »

zerr wrote: post #17
kbcool wrote: post #9

Since when was Flutter the "go-to solution for cross-platform development"? Maybe for hobbyists but in the corporate space it's still React Native. The problem with Flutter, and this extends even further with KMP is that the scope of your skills is limited to making mobile apps whereas with React Native you are learning and using skills that can apply to a complete stack. KMP is even worse in this regard as they expe…

Unlike RN, Flutter is desktop worthy.

Hardly. Performance lags. Even after the new rendering engine. Try compiling and then running desk top samples (a mail client, a finance management tool) on macOs and check the amount of jank in animations.

Text fields are whole another story. They feel alien in UX on every platform.

I can live with that but performance is a deal breaker.

Re: Is Kotlin Multiplatform Replacing Flutter?

#23

Post by zerr »

chadcmulligan wrote: post #11

If you want cross platform with a nice set of mature libraries and components, have a look at Delphi. It now (optionally) uses Skia as its rendering engine, the same as Flutter.

They need to make C++Builder on par with Delphi. Nobody is going to start a new project in Pascal. This and their current licensing make me think that they are more interested in milking existing enterprise costumers rather than acquiring new users.

Re: Is Kotlin Multiplatform Replacing Flutter?

#24

Post by rickette »

NeutralForest wrote: post #20

Maybe I'm getting cynical but in terms of longevity, I don't know how long JetBrains will be around and I'm not trusting Google to maintain a project for a long time. Can't believe I'm saying this but for perennial projects in that sphere, Java seems like the better option :/

JetBrains exists since 2000 and is privately owned. Not VC funded. Looks as solid as it gets.

Re: Is Kotlin Multiplatform Replacing Flutter?

#25

Post by mdhb »

edarchis wrote: post #15
mdhb wrote: post #4

I really see zero compelling evidence of this whatsoever. It seems like some random bullshit Twitter drama without any substance behind it.

Please consider that many of us have been burned before. I've been in business for over 25 years now and I am still supporting several apps built with now forsaken technologies. That includes a web app built with Dart back when Google claimed that its Dart VM would be bundled into every browser. Now, I like Flutter and I like Kotlin. Jetpack Compose is really nice. But if I am starting an app today and in a year or t…

I mean we could take a look at where they are investing their own resources for multi platform development as one way of doing that.

Ads is where the overwhelming majority of their money comes from. It’s all Dart (and Flutter specifically on non web platforms).

They also just got done rewriting all of Google’s Earths UI in Flutter.

It might be my ignorance but what multi platform stuff do they have in production with Kotlin?

Re: Is Kotlin Multiplatform Replacing Flutter?

#26

Post by pjmlp »

Flutter was never welcomed by Android team, so this wouldn't surprise me.

The go-to solution for cross-platform mobile development are mobile Web apps, unless we are speaking about games, or very special snowflake apps that really need device APIs.

Forms over data can be easily done as mobile Web.

Re: Is Kotlin Multiplatform Replacing Flutter?

#27

Post by pjmlp »

zerr wrote: post #23
chadcmulligan wrote: post #11

If you want cross platform with a nice set of mature libraries and components, have a look at Delphi. It now (optionally) uses Skia as its rendering engine, the same as Flutter.

They need to make C++Builder on par with Delphi. Nobody is going to start a new project in Pascal. This and their current licensing make me think that they are more interested in milking existing enterprise costumers rather than acquiring new users.

C++ Builder has been on par with Delphi for years.

If anything, I find quite tragic that Microsoft has never managed to make Visual C++ half as good as C++ Builder.

The only time that they came closer to it, with C++/CX, some internal devs managed to successfuly riot and replace it with C++/WinRT junk, only to now have fun in Rust/WinRT, and the remaining MS teams rather use C#, React Native, or Webviews, instead of dealing with XAML C++/WinRT mess.

Re: Is Kotlin Multiplatform Replacing Flutter?

#28

Post by radiKal07 »

NeutralForest wrote: post #20

Maybe I'm getting cynical but in terms of longevity, I don't know how long JetBrains will be around and I'm not trusting Google to maintain a project for a long time. Can't believe I'm saying this but for perennial projects in that sphere, Java seems like the better option :/

I trust JetBrains way more than Google to keep products around

Re: Is Kotlin Multiplatform Replacing Flutter?

#29

Post by Alifatisk »

inscrutable wrote: post #12

One datapoint is that Google rewrote their Google Docs app in KMM (which doesn't include UI, that's Compose Multiplatform), replacing their legacy in-house framework. They intend to write more of their apps in it. They also recently offshored some Flutter roles which may be a sign of how central they view Flutter. In a few years it may be in the graveyard. https://touchlab.co/KMP-at-google https://www.reddit.com/r/Fl…

> They also recently offshored some Flutter roles which may be a sign of how central they view Flutter.

No, Google did this throughout every team, not only the Flutter team.

Re: Is Kotlin Multiplatform Replacing Flutter?

#30

Post by ChrisMarshallNY »

mdhb wrote: post #25
edarchis wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Please consider that many of us have been burned before. I've been in business for over 25 years now and I am still supporting several apps built with now forsaken technologies. That includes a web app built with Dart back when Google claimed that its Dart VM would be bundled into every browser. Now, I like Flutter and I like Kotlin. Jetpack Compose is really nice. But if I am starting an app today and in a year or t…

I mean we could take a look at where they are investing their own resources for multi platform development as one way of doing that. Ads is where the overwhelming majority of their money comes from. It’s all Dart (and Flutter specifically on non web platforms). They also just got done rewriting all of Google’s Earths UI in Flutter. It might be my ignorance but what multi platform stuff do they have in production with…

Reminds me of Microsoft’s Visual SourceSafe[0].

They sold it, but didn’t use it. They had their own custom, in-house tool.

I’m a believer in eating your own dog food.

On-topic, I write native (iOS, in Swift), so have no opinion, as I don’t use either tool.

[0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Visual_SourceSafe

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