Community Matters
Software development is in a state of perpetual churn. Not a week goes by without the release of a new framework or open-source library, claiming to be the next silver...
Popular Posts
Android databinding, with Kotlin!
Android MVVM with Kotlin At Instil we always strive to apply best practices to any problem we are trying to solve. In the case of Android application architecture, the MVP/MVVM...
Why Android Development Is Better With Kotlin
Introduction Kotlin may be a relatively new language but it’s gaining traction fast and unlike some other languages (e.g. Swift) it feels mature with new major versions introducing features whilst...
Latest Posts
Programming in English
For as long as I can remember, programming has been pushed as a largely mathematical and STEM-based activity. To be good at programming, you not only had to be good...
Community Matters
Software development is in a state of perpetual churn. Not a week goes by without the release of a new framework or open-source library, claiming to be the next silver...
AIB Datahack
Prelude An overwhelming sense of anxiety woke me up at 3am. I was ill prepared for the day ahead, it had been a couple of months since I last dabbled...
Summary of KotlinConf 2018
The second ever KotlinConf took place in Amsterdam from 3rd-5th October 2018 and having missed last year’s event, the Instil team were looking forward to a thought-provoking conference over the...
Instil Autumn Outing: Golf Punks
Team Bonding Last week the Instil crew lined up some team ra-ra with the three elements of life: food, beer and sports. The plan was simple; destroy some pizzas, play...
Kotlin Contracts
The Kotlin type system is fairly flexible but there are a few corner cases where the compiler enforces rules which can be a little restrictive. For example, we can’t declare...
Kotlin Inline Class
In the upcoming Kotlin version 1.3, an experimental feature called inline classes will be introduced to the language. This helps address common errors caused by a developer when they rely...
A personal review of why Instil switched to Kotlin
An overview of why all parts of Instil’s business has switched to Kotlin over the past three years. By an unrepentant Scala Fanboy. About us For those who don’t know...
Harry Intern Life @instil
What have you learned A whole lot more than I ever thought I would! I went into placement knowing it was going to be a challenge, and there were going...
Benn Intern Life @instil
Benn Henderson joined Instil as a fresh-faced intern from Queen’s University Belfast, currently studying the undergraduate computer science degree. He quickly became a key part of the Instil mobile development...
Chaos and Order
The world (and software development) can be chaotic, so we have conventions and rules to bring about order. This enables progress, but we must also recognise the cost. In The...
Why You Must Work Here
What do you want from a job? This question has many answers, but there are four which are common to everyone. These are the four pillars which hold your career....
Android databinding, with Kotlin!
Android MVVM with Kotlin At Instil we always strive to apply best practices to any problem we are trying to solve. In the case of Android application architecture, the MVP/MVVM...
Why Android Development Is Better With Kotlin
Introduction Kotlin may be a relatively new language but it’s gaining traction fast and unlike some other languages (e.g. Swift) it feels mature with new major versions introducing features whilst...
Avoiding Defensive Checks
Defending against malicious use is a first order concern in all software. Any software that can be used or invoked by an external party or user (such as an application,...