Alright, so apple has just released their new programming language called Swift. Any thoughts on what you guys think about this?
I literally know nothing about it but judging by its syntax it seems similar to Python. Such as not needing to define variable types. Just knowing that it wont be faster than something like C++
I don't know what they're aiming to use this for. I'd imagine it'd be good for just apps and stuff. Not any real big projects.
I know nothing (haven't even seen what it looks like) but from what I heard it is supposedly faster than objc (great because fuck I can't get my facebook and twitter updates fast enough). Surely as far as coding time goes, anything would be faster than objc, but I'm under the impression it executes faster as well (not surprising considering message passing etc.). Frankly Python isn't really all that slow thanks to being compiled after the first run, and if Swift was somehow a subset or superset of Python I'd actually be interested. The biggest problem is that all those developers who invested a great deal of resources into becoming intimate with objc are getting screwed a million times over. Why pay a seasoned professional who knows how to avoid memory issues, squeeze out performance, debug crashes, etc when any 12 year old with a macbook can mash the keyboard and deuce out a half decent IOS app?
I tried to learn Obj-C, it was a nightmare. I gave up. Not because it was too difficult, I just don't have the time to devote to that language. I looked at their Swift tutorial for 10 minutes, and it makes much more sense. It is a much less confusing programming language than Obj-C. Their documentation for Swift is much more organized than their documentation for Obj-C. I will definitely be learning Swift.
there's not much choice in the matter is there? I mean, Swift is the new standard for the Mac platform, no?
Yea it's the new standard. Doesn't mean you're locked to that language.
I don't see how this language could possibly produce enough revenue to make up for the costs in creating it.... Oh WAIT! I know what they'll do! They are probably going to think of some creative way to shove it down our throats and make us use. Google+ all over again except 10 times worse.
You don't really have to shove something that's faster and easier to learn down anyone's throat except the curmudgeons. Newcomers will pick the higher level option, and old timers will either evaluate it and come to the conclusion that it increases their efficiency or will ignore it and soon die of old age. Everyone else will continue creating shitty web apps with JS, or with rare exception do godlike things with objc until swift is forced down their throats...