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Its in the Java, C# family of languages, where you can do pretty powerful things without the complexity of the likes of C++ and (now Rust) with a very good perf

Its in the Java, C# family of languages, where you can do pretty powerful things without the complexity of the likes of C++ and (now Rust) with a very good performance. And when you take the family Swift is in, (now also with Kotlin), i consider it the best language over its peers not only given the design, but the fact that being AOT compiled from the start it's of great value. Having said that, i feel inclined to invert the question as, why i would not want to use and learn it? In my experience at least, a lot of IT folks, just don't have the mental energy for the likes of C++ and Rust, but can peak at a language like Java which can already be complex enough. For instance, i deal mostly with C++ all day, and i don't think i would choose it if i were to create an application with buttons, multi-media, etc.. Nor Rust(same problem as C++) or Go(poor design for that goal). Given there's a language like Swift which combines the design and speed/efficiency to create such a thing. If i were to create a backend service for instance, i would take Go into consideration, and probably in that case it would be a better fit than Swift or Rust or C++.. So its about being the right tool for the job.

b3morales 5y ago
I'd dispute that you can achieve high performance in Swift without paying a similar Rust/C++ complexity cost. You can write high-level GUI code that is relatively straightforward, but if you are about speed and memory usage, there is a lot of intricate knowledge you need about what things to do and which to avoid.
- oscargrouch 5y ago
  Of course, if you want a very efficient application, you are completely right. But the thing is that with Swift you can get a Java like performance (which is pretty good) out-of-the-box even while paying the ref-counting penalty, without the Java memory penalty (it has a low memory footprint) and without having to run it all with a external VM. Of course, if you want to catch-up with the average speed of C++ you will need some effort, but knowing that it will be pretty fast without much effort and without all the other penalties is reassuring.

b3morales 5y ago

I'd dispute that you can achieve high performance in Swift without paying a similar Rust/C++ complexity cost. You can write high-level GUI code that is relatively straightforward, but if you are about speed and memory usage, there is a lot of intricate knowledge you need about what things to do and which to avoid.

oscargrouch 5y ago
Of course, if you want a very efficient application, you are completely right. But the thing is that with Swift you can get a Java like performance (which is pretty good) out-of-the-box even while paying the ref-counting penalty, without the Java memory penalty (it has a low memory footprint) and without having to run it all with a external VM. Of course, if you want to catch-up with the average speed of C++ you will need some effort, but knowing that it will be pretty fast without much effort and without all the other penalties is reassuring.