How Kotlin compares to others

1

Hi,

First I want to say that I am very exited with Kotlin and some other movements within JVM world towards new language creation. Currently Kotlin and Ceylon are two I follow regularly.
However, I know it has been asked, but I couldn’t find answer anywhere - what is main difference between those two? Languages are somewhat similar, both target modularity and JavaScript compilation. Maybe SDK thing, as Kotlin does not aim to create new one? Or just Kotlin, as is described, is aimed for internal Jetbrains usage so it could be tweaked according to they needs?

I am just a little bit concerned about what is the difference for potential users outside JetBrains or Red Hat. Just want to know what others think about all of this.

Thanks

2

Java interoperability is the key feature of Kotlin (as opposed to Ceylon that regards Java more as legacy). The "SDK thing" is the huge difference: Kotin is oriented towards re-using the existing Java ecosystem, and Ceylon is effectively building the platform from scratch.

3

Kotlin also runs damn well in Android where Ceylon does not.

4

Thanks for answer, it is now clear for me. I hope Kotlin will be successfull and gain popularity.