With the development of the Android Studio in full swing, it is now certain that Android will no longer support any more activity on the ADT or Android Developer Tools currently happening in Eclipse. Instead, this shift from the Eclipse will see the arrival of the Android NDK within Android Studio. The future will also usher in the migration of high end performance tools like the Trace Viewer and DDMS that are also stand-alone in their ability to deliver optimum results. It is clear that Google wants to move ahead with its initiatives of providing new and better tools for its developers.
Announcements indicating the withdrawal last year
This does not mean that developers will be left out in the cold. They can go ahead with their new apps in Eclipse but will not get the support from Android in terms of updates. Readers will recall that it was in December last that the announcement of Android Studio 1.0 release was made. At that time, it was also mentioned that the ADT plugin development had been stopped and users were requested to start their migration to the Android Studio.
The Studio enables users to import the projects they had started in the Eclipse ADT though and they can then complete them on the new platform. The support for the ADT tools in Eclipse will cease by the end of 2015.
Advantages of the Android Studio
While the ADT tools enabled users to create Android projects and interfaces for various applications along with debugging them, the Android Studio takes it a bit ahead. Now developers need not install any additional plugins to use any of the specific functions. Moreover, developers can even build for hardware like tablets or vehicles and wearables.
Google is prompting and motivating developers to make the migration to the Android Studio mainly because it does not want them to encounter issues when the Eclipse shuts down. It wants to continue to offer an exciting and fulfilling experience in an environment that is developer oriented and will remain open source.
Migration to the Android Studio is simple
This movement is going to be a simple one. You as a developer would be only required to download the Studio and then import your Eclipse files by going to File>New>Import Project.
Google in the days to come also plans to go ahead with the migration of other standalone tools like the Dalvik Debug Monitor Server or DDNS and the Trace Viewer to the Android Studio platform. That will complete the migration and enable developers to access all at one place.
The Eclipse IDE has been a popular platform for some time now. But Google wishes to move away from it towards Android Studio in an attempt to boost the development experience and since it is confident it would be able to effect the migration smoothly, developers need not worry about the transition at all. They will in fact get the opportunity to get into a new structure for project management, build new systems and have IDE functionality that is much improved.