Apple's open programming language Swift

0 545 3 minutes of reading

Apple has always been a very special company, and it wants it to be just her own. macOS, iOS, and other operating systems are very closed systems that work well within their own ecosystem but outside of it don't get along very well with their rivals. Its ecosystem is so closed that it even has its own programming language, Objective-C , which has been used for years to create its own programs. Times are changing, and although Apple won't open, it wanted to make it easier and faster to create new applications for its computers and devices, and that's how the programming language Swift was born .

Swift is a programming language , created by Apple, which was presented at WWDC in 2014. This programming language was born as a much simpler, intuitive and powerful alternative to Objective-C. This language is characterized by being clear and concise, thus reducing errors in programs and helping to have a much more precise syntax.

Objective-C or Swift? Pros and cons

Objective-C is a very old programming language, and although it is one of the most powerful and versatile, it is very difficult to learn. If we have no experience as programmers, this programming language may even seem enigmatic to us, a language where it is very easy to get it wrong and have all the code crumble.

With programming attracting increasing interest among all types of users, Apple wanted to make it easier to create programs within its own ecosystem, thus creating Swift. This programming language is, in a way, a bit more limited than Objective-C, but it has a much simpler and more straightforward syntax.

Swift and Objetive-C seek to interact with API by Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC), : Cocoa et Cocoa touch , the macOS and iOS APIs. More or less complicated, what is sought with the two programming languages is to take advantage of this API to create the interfaces or interactions necessary for its proper functioning.

Swift has a number of advantages over its rival, such as:

Much more modern language and with a bright future ahead.
Clearer, more concise, clean and simple code.
More powerful data types.
Automatic memory management.
Better performance on iOS and macOS.
Much more complete, simple and intuitive debugging.
Up to 2,6 times faster than Objective-C and up to 8,4 times faster than Python.

On the other hand, Objetive-C also has a series of advantages that we must take into account:

Protocol support.
More selectors and categories.
Advanced blocks.
First responders.

Which is better?

So which one should I use? Is it necessary to switch from one to the other? If we're good programmers and always want to be up to date, or want to start from scratch, it's best to do that directly with Swift. This programming language has several advantages that are undoubtedly worth it. However, this is not mandatory. If we are experienced users of Objective-C, we will be able to continue using this language without any problem.

Now if we've worked with Objective-C before and want to switch to Swift, we won't have any issues. Although they are different languages, they have many similarities to each other to quickly learn how to defend yourself with the new one.

Learn to program

If we are considering learning to code in Swift, there are several completely free resources we can turn to. For example, Apple gives us a book called " The Swift Programming Language Which allows us to take the first steps in this programming language. Apple also invites us to access its developer portal at from which we can access a large number of resources such as guides, videos and code samples to be always up to date.

In addition, to program in this language, you must use the IDE Xcode, a programming and compiler environment exclusive to macOS. If we have already programmed in Objective-C, we will know it.

Finally, Apple has a very interesting project to help users learn to program in this programming language: Swift Playgrounds . This app is a mix between the programming IDE and an iPad game that teaches how to program with Swift in an easy and fun way. It is perfect for students who want to start learning this language, because it starts with concepts, and even for children, because it allows them to have their first contact with programming in a fun way.

This app teaches us all the basics of this programming language, such as: