SDK - what is it? Description and features

Programmers love when their work is liked by the user. 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 go back to work and produce sets of tools. And give these utilities a name - SDK. What it is, will be described in the article.

Briefly about the main

A short abbreviation includes long words - 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 the program, games, a set of products, it allows you to create your own program, level or add-on, but only using the results 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 documentation. And described in it all short, concise and simple. 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 favorite among those who often use 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 may have a question: "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.

To the first you need to include the kits for creating independent 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 that are needed to write a new application or computer game: C ++ libraries, compilers, multi-page documentation.

Such solutions include the Android SDK, a software package designed to develop applications for smartphones. It does not need to delve into the subtleties 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 SDK, which just descends from the pipeline, contains not only new sets of tools, but also a large number of errors and bugs. 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 bugs was the easiest, developers create a site on which the community is cozy - the association of developers and users of the SDK. Different companies organize communication in various ways, but often on the site is a forum. Users and programmers share on it information about the found flaws, 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 newsletter, 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 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.