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Android

Posted by KORAXE IUHMAGEON
KORAXE IUHMAGEON
Courses Plus Student 8,486 Points

My Samsung Galaxy Note5 comes with anSDK I am not sure if this takes the place of an IDE. Can someone fill the blanks

So I'm a beginner I dont yet have a mac. How do i start on my android an my asus

3 Answers

Harry James
Harry James
14,780 Points

Hey Joseph and welcome to the Treehouse Community ;)

The Samsung SDK is not a full SDK and can't be used to build an application. Instead, the idea of the SDK is to give you access to features on Samsung's hardware that aren't available in the Android SDK.

The idea is that you will build your application with the Android SDK and can also optionally use the Samsung SDK to hook in to Samsung's hardware, which isn't always possible with the default Android SDK.

So, the Samsung SDK isn't a full SDK. It won't take the place of the Android Studio IDE. Instead, it provides code samples, documentation and the API you need to access.

Also to get started, take a look at the Android Track. It will start from the very beginning of Android with everything you need to know. The courses will then gradually grow in complexity as you get further through the track. You don't need a Mac as Android Studio is available on a Windows PC. The Setting Up an Android Development Environment for Windows video will explain how you can set up Android Studio, the IDE used for Android Development.

Hopefully this should explain the Samsung SDK for you but if you have any more questions, give me a shout! You can also tag me on these forums with @Harry James. I try to answer all questions I'm asked to answer or tagged in :)

KORAXE IUHMAGEON
KORAXE IUHMAGEON
Courses Plus Student 8,486 Points

Thank you that is helpful i will do that i also plan to relearn Linux basics as soon as i find the linux tutorial. What is the API again?

Harry James
Harry James
14,780 Points

Hey again Joseph!

By Linux basics, do you mean the Console Foundations course? If so, you can just click on that text and it'll take you straight there so you can get learning :)

Also, the API is the Application Programming Interface - it's what allows us to hook in to hardware and services. Android itself is a huge API - the majority of code we're writing will be from the Android API. This is what does all of the hard work for us so if we want to set text, display a picture etc..., all of this code is available in the Android API.

Hope that explains things for you but if there's still something that doesn't quite make sense to you or you stumble upon something else you're unsure about, let me know :)

KORAXE IUHMAGEON
KORAXE IUHMAGEON
Courses Plus Student 8,486 Points

Thank you so much. You answered more than I could have hoped. It's like the old Legend of Zelda Tri Force. SDK API IDE they are all three triangles that make up 1 TrI Force. IDE the special SDK tool for developers to write the Android OS which is basically a big API which fetches the Java script SDK package tools to access my Galaxy Note5's hardware the making it all work as The Tri Force which powers Hyrule which is my Device. Am I getting it?

Harry James
Harry James
14,780 Points

Hey again Joseph!

Almost there! You were correct that the IDE is the tool where developers write the code for the Android OS and that Android itself is a big API.

The SDK is basically your toolkit as a developer. It contains all of the above so that you can just take the kit and get working straight away. In Android, we can download our IDE and Android API's separately but it's a little less convenient - the tools are the same but we don't have them in a handy toolbox.

Also, I'm always here if you have any questions so ask away about anything whenever you want :)

KORAXE IUHMAGEON
PLUS
KORAXE IUHMAGEON
Courses Plus Student 8,486 Points
KORAXE IUHMAGEON
KORAXE IUHMAGEON
Courses Plus Student 8,486 Points

Thanks man that helped a lot. Android itself is a huge API. So it goes IDE API then SDK in that order for the developer and console foundations thanks I did that like over 2 years ago but I forgot. That's very helpful.

Harry James
Harry James
14,780 Points

I'll clarify this just below for easy reference as it's easy to get confused with when starting off:

  • The SDK is the Software Development Kit, it is the bundle that contains everything \/ (Note: You can often get components of an SDK separate as well)
  • The IDE is the Integrated Development Environment, it is part of the SDK and is the place where you write your code.
  • The Android API is the Application Programming Interface, it is also part of the SDK and is the way in which you can access and control hardware on an Android device.

Feel free to refer to this whenever you need to :)

KORAXE IUHMAGEON
KORAXE IUHMAGEON
Courses Plus Student 8,486 Points

I didn't post anything 2 days ago I'm stupid smartest but stupid. This makes me look stupid stupid fool stupid not paying any attention which violates my ego vanity. I've had an obvious security invasion but I think it's taken care of now.

KORAXE IUHMAGEON
PLUS
KORAXE IUHMAGEON
Courses Plus Student 8,486 Points
KORAXE IUHMAGEON
KORAXE IUHMAGEON
Courses Plus Student 8,486 Points

Apology for getting back so late. Those are all sensible and knowledge giving. It is interesting that android OS is. itself a massive API so I'm guessing many many people prefer android because they love Java and want to developers software. Earlier I only thought IAPI was the higher level of the SDK which you explained the Android SDK is apparently higher level java tool kits I learned today from r videos and rereading your answets include mega tool like compilers debuggers editors and a fourth one I forgot and these apparently work with the lower level Samsung SDK which includes lower level tool which incorporate a lower level language that goes down to binary /hardware. I wonder what lower level language Java is created from.

KORAXE IUHMAGEON
KORAXE IUHMAGEON
Courses Plus Student 8,486 Points

So the whole triforce is the Mega SDK which at the same time Android is a massive API/OS which fetches the Java based SDK tools for developing more Android apps and I'm guessing newer upgraded Android OS versions. So a massive part of these OSs all one mega SDK and other parts of the OS are system software still made of and from SDK tools made of smaller tools. What's missing from this Mega SDK/OS Is the IDE which is the application software or Application to give us the Developer Environment that integrates all the SDK and it's component SDK parts SDKs with and within Andoid/API/Mega SDK/Android OS. OS is Mega SDK/API and other SDK system software Application// Total SDK/API which is Android and Android OS. The empty fourth triangle in Android OS triforce is in this case Android Studio IDE application software which Integrates the trip force for Development more java based system software and applications. It's all a tri force based trip force fractalish extradimentional universe and history of Android Development in my Samsung and the evolution history of Android and another dimension of Networking android devices and apps. Now I just need all knowledge that will make sense of and perfiction correction my decent overarching Concept. I know nothing.