What's New in Android 7.1

Learn about the new developer features of Android 7.1, available in the developer preview, including launcher shortcuts, the commit content API for rich media in input methods, and more.

Check out the API Overview: http://goo.gl/xa204A

Free ebook: Software Architecture Patterns

Whether you're a software architect or a software developer or engineer who fulfills some of the roles of a software architect in the course of your work, the more you understand about software architecture, the more capable you'll be.

Mark Richards' new report, Software Architecture Patterns, can help you learn about common software architecture patterns, how they work, the pros and cons, and when you would choose to use each one. It also introduces a few anti-patterns you'll want to know about. This report is a great way to further develop your architectural skills and become an even greater asset to your organization—and it's free.

GET YOUR FREE O'REILLY eBOOK

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The success of any application or system depends on the architecture pattern you use. By describing the overall characteristics of the architecture, these patterns not only guide designers and developers on how to design components, but also determine the ways in which those components should interact.

This O’Reilly report takes a deep dive into many common software architecture patterns. Each pattern includes a full explanation of how it works, explains the pattern’s benefits and considerations, and describes the circumstances and conditions it was designed to address. The report also includes an analysis and scorecard for each pattern based on several architecture and software development quality attributes.

Patterns include:

• Layered architecture
• Event-driven architecture
• Microkernel architecture
• Microservices architecture
• Space-based architecture
• In addition to these specific patterns, you’ll also learn about the Architecture by Implication anti-pattern and the causes and effects of not using architecture patterns.

Mark Richards
Mark Richards is an experienced hands-on software architect involved in the architecture, design, and implementation of Microservices Architectures, Service Oriented Architectures, and distributed systems in J2EE and other technologies. He has been involved in the software industry since 1983, and has significant experience and expertise in application, integration, and enterprise architecture. Mark served as the President of the New England Java Users Group from 1999 thru 2003. He is the author of numerous technical books and videos, including "Software Architecture Fundamentals" (O’Reilly video), "Enterprise Messaging" (O’Reilly video), "Java Message Service 2nd Edition" (O’Reilly), and 97 Thinks Every Software Architect Should Know (O'Reilly). Mark has a masters degree in computer science and numerous architect and developer certifications from IBM, Sun, The Open Group, and BEA. He is a regular conference speaker at the No Fluff Just Stuff (NFJS) Symposium Series, and has spoken at over 100 conferences and user groups around the world on a variety of enterprise-related technical topics.When he is not working Mark can usually be found hiking in the White Mountains or along the Appalachian Trail.

Gradle Recipes for Android: Master the New Build System for Android

Gradle Recipes for Android: Master the New Build System for Android

Android adopted Gradle as the preferred build automation system a few years ago, but many Android developers are still unfamiliar with this open source tool. This hands-on guide provides a collection of Gradle recipes to help you quickly and easily accomplish the most common build tasks for your Android apps. You’ll learn how to customize project layouts, add dependencies, and generate many different versions of your app.

Gradle is based on Groovy, yet very little knowledge of the JVM language is required for you to get started. Code examples use Android SDK version 23, with emulators from Marshmallow (Android 6) or Lollipop (Android 5). If you’re comfortable with Java and Android, you’re ready.

• Understand Gradle’s generated build files for Android apps
• Run Gradle from the command line or inside Android Studio
• Add more Java libraries to your Android app
• Import and export Eclipse ADT projects
• Digitally sign a Release APK for the Google Play store
• Use product flavors to build many versions of the same app
• Add custom tasks to the Gradle build process
• Test both your app’s Android and non-Android components
• Improve the performance of your Gradle build