Future of Shared Code = Kotlin Multiplatform

If you’ve been following our development of Doppl for the last couple years, we’ve built a Gradle toolset for J2objc, an architectural structure with an Android compatible API, and published a number of popular libraries for that ecosystem. In other words, a full toolset extension of J2objc which allows sharing logic and architecture from Android to iOS.

J2objc is a mature, stable technology. If you have an iPhone, you’re more likely to have some J2objc in there than all the other non-HTML frameworks put together. J2objc makes sense not because it lets Java developers publish iOS code. It makes sense because it allows a platform native language produce platform native libraries, with optional code sharing, without any significant barrier or translation layer.

We use this framework with current clients, and would absolutely take new projects with it if we have the bandwidth to do so.

However, we’re officially out of the Doppl business.

The future of shared code and architecture, as far as we’re concerned, is Kotlin Multiplatform.

Some of the reasons we like it are the same as why we like J2objc. Native language, optional sharing, platform compatibility. As of the last few months, all R&D and open source development has been focused on KMP. As of KotlinConf this year (or shortly after) the tooling and libraries will be ready for production work. It is time to burn the ships.

To be better open source citizens, and to avoid internal distractions, we’ll be unpublishing Doppl and related libraries. If you’re one of the handful of orgs who use the library, please reach out and we’ll make sure you can access the repos.

I want to be clear that this doesn’t mean I think J2objc is bad tech. I still think it’s amazing technology. If you wanted to maximize your shared mobile architecture today, it would be significantly more productive than other options.

However, the community excitement around Kotlin Multiplatform is intense.

Over the next several months there will be a number of library announcements. It’s also not just for Android/iOS logic, but back end and front end architecture, including native mobile, web with JS, and webassembly. There is a lot of work to be done, but there’s a much wider scope of problems to solve.

We are, of course, looking for products and orgs interested in getting started. Also, I’m starting the search for our first Multiplatform specific engineer (besides me). Reach out.