SDK - what is it? Description and features
Programmers love when their work is likeuser. But they love more when their work is continued by non-professionals, adding to the seemingly finished product some of their ideas. Then the miracle of creative and engineering thought becomes even more beautiful. But that a simple user could join the great, programmers again go to work and produce sets of tools. And give these utilities a name - SDK. What this is, will be described in the article.
Briefly about the main
Short an abbreviation includes longwords - Software Development Kit (or a set of developer programs). Many people think that any program for software development can be called an SDK, such as the Pascal or Delphi compiler. However, like the book can not be judged by the cover, and the product - by its name. The SDK is a set that expands the functionality of a program, games, a set of products, it allows you to create your own program, level or add-on, but only with the use of the workings of the source.
Three whales SDK
The SDK most often consists of three main components. The most important is the program itself or a set of libraries that allow you to develop a new product, based on what is already available.
The second part is the documentation. And described in it all shortly, concisely and simply. It includes Tutorial (step-by-step learning in the "Creation of the World in Six Simple Steps" style) and Reference - a section provided as a guide for what can be done with the SDK.
The third piece of the mosaic is the most beloved of those whooften uses the product - ready-made examples. And almost always they cover all the features of the development kit. Due to their presence, it is often possible to skip any Reference without trying to understand the software environment. Samples will quickly introduce the user to what can be created in the provided software package.
There are people who are lazy to read even a short tutorial. And this is not required! Take an example, edit it, customize it to your criteria - and the new component of the program is ready.
From simple to complex
After all of the above, the reader canthe question is: "SDK - what is it? A set of programs that are not of interest to the real developer and are only needed by users for petty pampering?" We answer: all SDKs can be conditionally divided into two groups.
The first should include the kits for creatingindependent games and programs. The best example would be DirectX, without which none of the computers running Windows are currently running. However, simple users are provided with only the working components required to run applications created using this SDK. For programmers the same company Microsoft provides a free complex DirectX SDK, which is a component of a more powerful product - the Windows SDK. It contains all the files you need to write a new application or computer game: C ++ libraries, compilers, multi-page documentation.
To such solutions can be attributed and Android SDK -a software package designed to develop applications for smartphones. It does not need to delve into the details of the accelerometer or sensor, the functions are already added to the kit.
The second group of SDKs is more interesting. These are not OS components, but huge self-sufficient tools. For example, they can include Torque or Unity - full-fledged game engines, which include support for the most advanced technologies. However, these solutions differ by the fact that using the tools included in the delivery, you can create a wonderful game or program without studying the programming too deeply - it will be enough to learn the basics. Very often such products use their own scripting languages with simplified functions.
The latest version is not always the best
Usually an SDK that just gets offConveyor, contains not only new sets of tools, but also a large number of errors and bugs. So, for example, the latest release of the Java SDK has a figure of eight in the title. However, many do not rush to update their software. They remain true to the SDK version 7.
To catch bugs and fix errors wasthe simplest, the developers create a site on which the community is cozy - the association of developers and users of the SDK. Different companies organize communication in many ways, but often on the site is a forum. Users and programmers share on it information about the found defects, discuss the subtleties of the SDK, consult and ask questions to technical support staff.
Free cheese only in a mousetrap?
It happens that the developers create a newsmailing, in which they inform everyone about the development of their tools and new versions. On the forum, you can almost always find a branch with detailed documentation, which is updated and supplemented all the time. Add to this the SDK authors' articles, their communication with the community members and the 24-hour technical support staff, and it will immediately become clear that the community is not a community of free SDK testers, it's an attempt to make the product better and better.
