Its been a few weeks since itscome out, but I wanted to take some time and talk about Android Studio. Android developers have wanted this for a long time. Honestly this IDE has been long overdue . Most Android developers, or at least from what I’ve experienced, use Eclipse. While it gets the job done, something has to be said for having an IDE that is truly focused and refined to what you’re developing.
The most direct comparison of the path Google wants to go down is how Apple positioned xCode. An IDE created by Apple for developing Mac and iOS applications. Sounds like a solid plan to me, and it must make sense to Google as well since they are doing the same thing with Android Studio. With tons of new hardware coming in all shapes and sizes, Android needs a better IDE to manage the demands of the market.
Android Studio seems to be the answer we’ve been waiting for, but does it solve the primary issues plaguing the growth of Android development? Lets see…
How Easy is it to Get Started as a New Developer?
Regardless of the platform starting to develop for a new platform can be intimidating, Android is no exception. Currently setting up Eclipse with the SDK is the prefered method among the development community. While Google’s SDK download now includes Eclipse, with the SDK already installed, it still requires a working knowledge of Eclipse get everything setup properly for development and maintaining that environment. Android Studio rolls everything into one install, including the SDK. Also it will prompt when updates are available and automatically setup your environment. Overall I think its much easier to get started with Android Studio.
Practicality of Testing Multiple Devices?
One of the biggest issues with Android is viewing your work across multipledevices. Android Studio attempts to address this issue by showing multiple previews of your layouts. While this is a nice step forward, its still far from being optimal. Currently you can view the devices in preview mode when building the XML layout file, but thats the extent of the functionality. Unfortunately there still is not a solid way to test your application across multiple devices optimally without 3rd party software. This leads to something we aren’t getting, a better simulator. Its true that the Android Simulators have gotten better, but the physical device is still significantly faster. I wasn’t expecting this with Android Studio, but would have been a great nice to have.
Easy to use with version control? (Git/SVN)
Probably oneof the strongest features of Android Studio is their integration with Git and SVN. Personally all my projects are managed through Git, and having it built into the IDE has been great. I’ve been using the EGit plugin for Eclipse for some time now, but having Git built into the core of the IDE makes for a better experience.
Interface problems?
This is one of the biggest disappointments of Android Studio. Google had the opportunity to create an brand new IDE with a simple and elegant interface, instead we got a reskinned Eclipse. Most of the functionality and buttons do what you would think, but once in awhile it can become hard to find where you need to go. For example, I have a thread on Stack Overflow with, as of now, 9 upvotes based on where you go to change what the default device for a project. Its kept in a odd place and it defaults to simulator instead of the online device, something that should be opposite. I think they’llhave to put in some quality of life changes to the UI before they hit 1.0 so it can be more user friendly and intuitive.
Is it Stable?
I’ll start this section off with a quote from Google.
“Caution: Android Studio is currently available as an early access preview. Several features are either incomplete or not yet implemented and you may encounter bugs.”
In my opinion its fairly stable. I’ve had the application crash a few times, but nothing more or less than the frequency of Eclipse. Also keep in mind this is still in preview, so there are bound to be issues. As new features get added and bugs get fixed the quality of the application can only get better.
Quick Summary
Android Studio has a lot of positives and in a few years time will be the default IDE for most Android developers. Its feature set is vast and more things are being added every month that make it better and better. That said, I foresee adoption being slow. Right now Android Studio is still in its early beta stages, and will need a 1.0 before it starts being accepted in the mainstream. For new developers, It might be worth starting to use this build now before learning eclipse. Both have caveats, and if this is the future, its worth learning now if you’re fresh. For current developers, I’d stick with Eclipse for now but be aware of this IDE and know that down the line you’ll more than likely need to make the switch.
