Book Image

Introduction to JVM Languages

Book Image

Introduction to JVM Languages

Overview of this book

Anyone who knows software development knows about the Java Virtual Machine. The Java Virtual Machine is responsible for interpreting Java byte code and translating it into actions. In the beginning, Java was the only programming language used for the JVM. But increasing complexity of the language and the remarkable performance of the JVM created an opening for a new generation of programming languages. If you want to build a strong foundation with the Java Virtual Machine and get started with popular modern programming languages, then this book is for you. The book will begin with a general introduction of the JVM and its features, which are common to the JVM languages, helping you get abreast with its concepts. It will then dive into explaining languages such as Java, Scala, Clojure, Kotlin, and Groovy and will show how to work with each language, their features, use cases, and pros and cons. By writing example projects in those languages and focusing on each language’s strong points, it will help you find the programming language that is most appropriate for your particular needs. By the end of the book, you will have written multiple programs that run on the Java Virtual Machine and know about the differences between the various languages.
Table of Contents (21 chapters)
Title Page
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewer
www.PacktPub.com
Customer Feedback
Preface

Kotlin for the Eclipse IDE plugin


The Kotlin language was designed by a team at JetBrains, the company behind popular commercial IDEs and their free community editions. It will not be a surprise that their popular IntelliJ IDEA IDE for JVM software development offers very good built-in Kotlin support. JetBrains, in their quest for widespread use of Kotlin, are also developing a plugin that adds Kotlin compatibility to the Eclipse IDE. We will be using this plugin during this chapter.

Installing the Kotlin plugin for the Eclipse IDE

Installation couldn't be simpler, as it is available on the Eclipse Marketplace. At the time of writing, the version on the Marketplace was fully up to date with the latest available version on their website. The installation procedure should feel rather familiar by now:

  1. From the Eclipse IDE's Help menu, select the Eclipse Marketplace... option.
  2. Enter Kotlin in the Find field and press Enter.
  3. Look for the Kotlin Plugin for Eclipse entry (which credits JetBrains) and...