问题
I'm a newbie to Android Development. Even though I referred the android developer website, I didn't figure out.
On the customize Activity dialog box, when I unchecked the Backwards Compatiblity(Appcompat) in Android Studio 2.3.1 It gave me a hint as:
If false, this activity base class will be Activity instead of AppCompatActivity
Generally, what do android developers prefer? enabling backwards compatibility or without it? Can anyone explain me which one is better.
回答1:
Android apps can be backward-compatible without checking this checkbox.
If false, this activity base class will be Activity instead of AppCompatActivity
Android studio is letting you know that if you uncheck the "Backwards Compatability(Appcompat)" box, then you'll be including & using the library Activity instead of AppCompatActivity. For a more detailed comparison between the two, check this: Activity, AppCompatActivity, FragmentActivity, and ActionBarActivity: When to Use Which?
Generally, what do android developers prefer? enabling backwards compatibility or without it?
A comment written by "CommonsWare" explains this best:
An activity created with that checkbox checked is no more backwards compatible than is one without that checkbox checked. Checking the checkbox gives your app a particular look and feel that will retain that look and feel on some older devices; leaving the checkbox unchecked means that some aspects of your look and feel will be different on pre-Android 5.0 devices. This does not impact the core functionality of the activity, though. – CommonsWare
回答2:
Backwards compatibility allows you to use certain backwards compatible features in your app. They will be able to work on previous versions of Android.
The Android Support Library offers backward-compatible versions of a number of features that are not built into the framework. (Android Support Library website)
For example, instead of Activity, AppCompatActivity will be used and is something that is "backwards" compatible. It can be used all the way back to API level 15.
回答3:
You should generally use AppCompatActivity to support older Android versions. If your app has no need for older android versions, then just use Activity.
Using AppCompatActivity is generally more recommended.
来源：https://stackoverflow.com/questions/43788103/what-is-backwards-compatibility-in-android-studio