Google reportedly preparing Swift escape from Java

Google has been caught-up in fierce court battles with Oracle over the company’s use of Java for their Android operating system, and could be looking to Apple’s new programming language, Swift, as the replacement if litigation matters continue.

Switching from Java to Swift as the platform’s first-class language will require a complete re-build of Android, so it’s likely this is a backup plan for Google and won’t be implemented this year. Swift was announced during WWDC in 2014, and has gained praise from developers for being easy-to-write and leaving behind some of the frustrating issues with older programming languages.

Google is reportedly looking towards Apple’s language as a viable alternative to Java

The news comes as Facebook and Uber announced plans to make Swift more central in their operations; joining other major apps who have rebuilt their iOS applications using Swift including Lyft, Pixelmator, and Vimeo.

Apple surprised many developers with their announcement that Swift would be open-source, which fits into Google’s own strategy and should make for an easier transition. A runtime would be required for Swift on Android, but several APIs written in C++ would also need to be re-written as Swift is incompatible.

Link to article: http://www.developer-tech.com/news/2016/apr/08/google-reportedly-preparing-swift-escape-java/