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

Installing Kotlin


Visit the Kotlin website to download the Kotlin compiler. There are several ways to download or run the compiler:

  • Running snippets in the online version of Kotlin
  • Downloading the compiler

The most suitable installation for trying out the examples in this book would be downloading the standalone version. At the time of writing this book, it is downloadable from GitHub. You will find this link at http://kotlinlang.org.

To download the latest standalone compiler release, follow these instructions:

  1. On the home page, scroll down until you find the STANDALONE Compiler box and the Download Compiler link. This link will lead you to an article containing instructions on downloading the latest standalone compiler release, including a link to the GitHub page.
  2. On the GitHub repository site, scroll down to the Downloads section where you will find the ZIP file of the latest release. Download the ZIP file. When this book went to press, 1.1 was the latest version and the ZIP file was called...