Google LLC today released a major update to its open source Flutter framework, used to build applications that can run on multiple computing platforms.
The great news is that Flutter 2, as the launch is called, has been expanded to become a portable structure rather than just a mobile structure, which means that it can now be used to create stylish, feature-rich web-based applications .
Flutter is a framework used by developers to build “native” applications on operating systems like Android that can also run on other platforms, such as iOS, Windows and MacOS. The idea is that they can write their applications only once using the language of Google’s Dart programming and make them run perfectly on all of these platforms, without having to tamper with the code of 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 release, the company said.
Google said in a blog that its main objective with Flutter 2 is “to fundamentally change the way developers think about building their applications”, focusing on the experience they want to create, rather than the platform they want.
To that end, the launch of Flutter 2 features what Google said is “production quality support for the web”. This, Google said, will help developers take advantage of web innovations such as richer platform application programming interfaces that enable more sophisticated applications with hardware-accelerated 2D and 3D graphics and more flexible layouts.
Flutter 2 focuses on three specific web application scenarios: progressive web applications that combine the reach of the internet with the capabilities of desktop applications, single page applications that load once and transmit data to and from web services and existing Flutter mobile apps for the web you’re bringing to the web.
Tim Sneath, Flutter’s product leader at Google, told SiliconANGLE in an interview that Flutter 2 enables mobile app developers to reach the web with the same code base. He said it is a great benefit because it makes it easier for people to use the services without installing an application.
“This is the main resource for this launch,” said Sneath. “You can reduce the pain and friction of this integration experience.”
The update also highlights how Flutter has evolved from its roots as a simple user interface toolkit to a much broader software development toolkit. “We see Flutter as Google’s solution for reaching all those places that are difficult to reach with other approaches,” said Sneath.
Google said that there are more than 150,000 existing apps on Google Play developed with Flutter and, as they all receive a free update to Flutter 2, they can now target desktops and the web without being rewritten.
The Flutter team has been working hard to optimize the performance of Flutter applications on the web, Google said. For example, he added a new rendering engine based on CanvasKit, as well as features like automatic text completion and control over URLs and address bar routing. Another novelty is support for interactive scrollbars, keyboard shortcuts and accessibility features on Windows, macOS and ChromeOS.
Google said that several developers have already brought their Flutter applications to the web. For example, iRobot Corp., which is known for its popular Root educational robots, took its existing educational programming environment and moved it to the web to expand its availability for Chromebooks and other devices. And Rive Inc. has created a web-based version of its animation design tool that is now available in beta.
The expanded portability of Flutter 2 means that Flutter-based applications are now running on multiple platforms as well. For example, Canonical Ltd., which leads the development of the popular Linux-based Ubuntu operating system, made Flutter the standard framework for all its future desktop and mobile applications and today showcased its new installation application, built from from scratch using Flutter.
Microsoft Corp. it was also won by Flutter and is expanding support for the framework on its Windows operating system. It is also launching some contributions to the Flutter engine that supports the emerging class of foldable Android devices, Google said.
Sneath told SiliconANGLE that Microsoft saw a lot of potential in Flutter and believes that the structure can help expand its own ecosystem. “They want to see more applications developed for Windows and that is a facilitator,” he said.
The new portability of Flutter was made possible by the Dart programming language in which it is written. Dart, which has just been updated to version 2.12, is also the language used to write applications in Flutter and is able to recompile its code in JavaScript, the main programming language for the web, Sneath explained.
Other new features in Flutter 2 include the beta version of Google Mobile Ads for Flutter, a new software development kit that works with Google’s AdMob and AdManager products and allows you to create multiple ad formats in Flutter apps. In addition, the release includes something called Flutter Fix, a new feature that makes it possible to modify existing code for the new version of the Flutter API, said Sneath.
Constellation Research Inc. analyst Holger Mueller said Flutter 2 appears to be a strong launch, noting that it has effectively become the de facto development platform for Google today.
“Developers are realizing this and are adopting Flutter more and more,” said Mueller. “Flutter 2 should further stimulate interest in the platform. Company executives will like the developments, as they will help to increase the speed of the developer, although the price they will pay for it is more dependent on the tool itself and Google. “
With reporting by Robert Hof
Images: Google
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