Google LLC today released a major update to its open-source Flutter framework, which is used to build applications that can work across multiple computing platforms.
The big news is that Flutter 2, as the version is called, has been expanded to a portable framework rather than just a mobile framework, which means it can now be used to create smooth, feature-packed web-based applications.
Flutter is a framework that developers use to build ‘native’ applications on operating systems such as Android that can also run on other platforms, such as iOS, Windows and MacOS. The idea is that they can write their programs only once using Google’s Dart programming language and run them perfectly on all platforms, without having to tamper with the code for each version.
Dart, which is a client-optimized programming language created by Google and used to write mobile, desktop, server and web applications, has also been updated to coincide with the new version, the company said.
Google said in a blog post that its main goal with Flutter 2 is to ‘fundamentally change how developers think about building their applications’, by focusing on the experience they want to create rather than the platform on which they focus.
To that end, the Flutter 2 version introduces what Google has said: “Supporting production quality for the Internet.” According to Google, it will help developers take advantage of web innovations, such as a richer platform application programming interface that enables more sophisticated applications with hardware-accelerated 2D and 3D graphics and more flexible layouts.
Flutter 2 focuses on three specific web app scenarios: progressive web applications that combine the reach of the Internet with the capabilities of desktop apps, one-page applications that load and transfer data to and from web services, and existing Flutter mobile apps on the internet that bring it to the internet.
Tim Sneath, product leader for Flutter at Google, said in an interview with SiliconANGLE that Flutter 2 enables mobile app developers to access the Internet with the same code base. He said this is a big advantage because it makes it easy for people to use the services without installing an app.
“This is the tent for this release,” Sneath said. “You can reduce the pain and friction of the experience on board.”
The update also highlights how Flutter evolved from its origins as a simple user interface toolkit to a much broader software development tool. “We see Flutter as Google’s solution to reach all of these sites that are difficult to reach with other approaches,” Sneath said.
Google has said that more than 150,000 existing apps have been built on Google Play with Flutter, and because they all get a free upgrade to Flutter 2, they can now target both computers and the Internet without being rewritten.
The Flutter team has worked hard to optimize the performance of Flutter programs on the Internet, Google said. For example, it added a new CanvasKit-powered versioning engine, plus features like auto-typing of text and address bar URL control and routing. Support for interactive sliders, shortcuts, and accessibility features on Windows, macOS, and ChromeOS is also new.
Google has said that a number of developers have already brought their Flutter apps to the Internet. For example, iRobot Corp., known for its popular Root educational robots, has taken its existing educational programming environment and moved to the Internet to extend its availability to Chromebooks and other devices. And Rive Inc. has created a web version of its animation design tool, now available in beta.
The extended portability of Flutter 2 means that Flutter-based applications also now run on multiple platforms. For example, Canonical Ltd., which is leading the development of the popular Linux-based operating system Ubuntu, Flutter created the default framework for all its future desktop and mobile apps and today launched its new installation app, which built up from the ground, displayed. use Flutter.
Microsoft Corp. has also been acquired by Flutter, expanding the framework support for its Windows operating system. Google also makes some contributions to the Flutter engine that supports the emerging class of foldable Android devices.
Sneath told SiliconANGLE that Microsoft has seen a lot of potential in Flutter and believes the framework could help expand its own ecosystem. “They want to see more programs built for Windows, and that’s an enabler,” he said.
Flutter’s new portability was made possible thanks to the Dart programming language in which it was written. Dart, which has just been updated to version 2.12, is also the language used to write programs in Flutter and is able to re-compose the code into JavaScript, the main programming language for the web, Sneath explained.
Other new features in Flutter 2 include the beta release of Google Mobile Ads for Flutter, a new software development kit that works with Google’s AdMob and AdManager products and enables the creation of various ad formats in Flutter applications. In addition, the version includes something called Flutter Fix, a new feature that makes it possible to modify existing code for the new version of the Flutter API, Sneath said.
Holger Mueller, an analyst at Constellation Research Inc., said Flutter 2 appears to be a strong release, noting that it has become the de facto development platform for Google these days.
“Developers are taking note of this and adopting Flutter more and more,” Mueller said. ‘Flutter 2 should further arouse interest in the platform. Business executives will like the developments as it will help increase developer speed, although the price they will pay is more dependent on the tool itself and Google. ”
Reported by Robert Hof
Images: Google
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