How cross-platform is Swift ? Are the GUI libraries platform-dependent or independent ? I.E: can i write a single Swift program with a GUI that will compile, work the same and look similar on multiple platforms: Linux, Mac OS, Real Unix-es & BSDs, AIX, Windows ?
Swift is an open-source cross-platform language (there's even a Linux server version), but the Cocoa and Cocoa Touch APIs on OS X and iOS are platform specific.
No. Apple has no plans to make a generic UI library. Doesn't stop someone else from doing so or making Swift bindings for Qt or GTK as there are for numerous other languages.
Looking at? That doesn't answer my question. Is it being used for something else than a toy? And why? If I were to develop a Linux server application, Swift wouldn't even be in my top 10 language choice.
Swift is in fact more confusing and convoluted to read than the ubiquitous C++.
I've done a lot of C++ in the past and a lot of Swift in the present. At its worst Swift is 10x more readable than the average C++ code. Even if for some reason you are looking at the name managed output of class/method names in the debugger just compare that to the multi-page joy that was (is?) template class debugger output...
Just the fact that Swift does not support multiple inheritance lends it the automatic win.
I bet you've recently converted and yet to do any real work in stupid Swift. Also you do sound like an apple apologist, so I wouldn't trust your opinion.
How cute, you took one of the most common accusations aimed at apple fanbois and somehow tried to apply it to people without a preference. PS Android OS is the most unusable pile of steaming garbage of all time - outside the Apple ecosystem.
Cross-platform (Score:5)
How cross-platform is Swift ?
Are the GUI libraries platform-dependent or independent ?
I.E: can i write a single Swift program with a GUI that will compile, work the same and look similar on multiple platforms: Linux, Mac OS, Real Unix-es & BSDs, AIX, Windows ?
Re:Cross-platform (Score:5, Informative)
Swift is an open-source cross-platform language (there's even a Linux server version), but the Cocoa and Cocoa Touch APIs on OS X and iOS are platform specific.
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Not asking about the Apple GUI ones.
Just curious if there's a generic one (like Qt, or Swing) or at least a plan to have one in the future.
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No. Apple has no plans to make a generic UI library. Doesn't stop someone else from doing so or making Swift bindings for Qt or GTK as there are for numerous other languages.
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There are, in fact, several GitHub projects where people are experimenting with Qt and GTK.
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Why would Swift need a separate UI library? Just create language bindings for an existing UI toolkit as is done for plenty of other languages.
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Is there a single swift program actually being used by more than 2 people in a basement which is NOT using these Apple APIs?
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Looking at? That doesn't answer my question. Is it being used for something else than a toy? And why? If I were to develop a Linux server application, Swift wouldn't even be in my top 10 language choice.
Re: Cross-platform (Score:0)
It's performant and offers a high degree of correctness through its type system. Also swift is generally very easy to refactor as time goes.
Plus thanks to the obj-c bridging being first class it's very easy to hook into C for performance when it's critical.
Re: Cross-platform (Score:1)
Tell that to pissed revs who have to deal with never ending depreciations in Swift.
I hate to disillusion you, but Swift is in fact more confusing and convoluted to read than the ubiquitous C++.
C++ winds unreadably award by a mile (Score:2)
Swift is in fact more confusing and convoluted to read than the ubiquitous C++.
I've done a lot of C++ in the past and a lot of Swift in the present. At its worst Swift is 10x more readable than the average C++ code. Even if for some reason you are looking at the name managed output of class/method names in the debugger just compare that to the multi-page joy that was (is?) template class debugger output...
Just the fact that Swift does not support multiple inheritance lends it the automatic win.
Re: C++ winds unreadably award by a mile (Score:0)
I bet you've recently converted and yet to do any real work in stupid Swift. Also you do sound like an apple apologist, so I wouldn't trust your opinion.
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(Telltale sound of dripping water indicating Android apologist)
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How cute, you took one of the most common accusations aimed at apple fanbois and somehow tried to apply it to people without a preference. PS Android OS is the most unusable pile of steaming garbage of all time - outside the Apple ecosystem.
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Just the fact that Swift does not support multiple inheritance renders it an incomplete tool targeted at complete tools
ftfy
Re: Cross-platform (Score:1)
IBM has been pushing it pretty hard. Just google IBM and swift.
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What does Cocoa and Cocoa Touch have to do with Swift at all?
Do you consider GDI32, GTK etc part of C?