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They should have been fully open source with full linux support and parity since day one. That would actually help the language get traction. At this point it'

by gruuuk 2y ago

They should have been fully open source with full linux support and parity since day one. That would actually help the language get traction. At this point it's a dying language.

tombert 2y ago
Is it dying? I think it's still pretty popular for app development isn't it? I was pretty excited to hear that Ladybird is doing a lot of stuff in Swift, because I think it's a pretty decent and fast language and I think it'd be pretty neat to see a browser written in it.
- flohofwoe 2y ago
  It's essentially "Big in Japan" (eg on Apple platforms but nowhere else). Even on Apple platforms I winder if ObjC is actually still more popular ;)
  - Longhanks 2y ago
    Well if you wonder you should conduct some simple research, but be prepared to have your opinion challenged. Swift ist doing very fine and much more popular than ObjC (again, if you don't believe it, invest 5 minutes into research).
ChrisMarshallNY 2y ago
> At this point it's a dying language. I disagree. Source: Someone who has been programming Apple since 1986, and has heard last rites being administered to Apple, many times.
lawgimenez 2y ago
Come on now, iOS development is my livelihood.
napierzaza 2y ago
No one uses Apple platforms - sent from my iPhone
fastball 2y ago
What language are you using to develop native apps for macOS and iOS and visionOS and watchOS, since Swift is dying?
- jayd16 2y ago
  C#, Unity.
  - atkailash 2y ago
    [dead]
  - pjmlp 2y ago
    Which rely on a mix of Objective-C and Swift APIs to actually interact with the platform.
    - jayd16 2y ago
      What's your point? That's what Apple makes available. I'd use the C# API if that's how they provided it. If not dominating the games on those plarforms, Unity and C# have a strong footing to say the least. Swift doesn't seem to be making very much headway on platforms where APIs are available in anything else. Maybe that can chance. It seems like a neat language but "it's popular because apple forces you to use it" is more damning than reassuring.
      - pjmlp 2y ago
        The point is that they are guest languages on Apple ecosystem and need Apple tooling and languages as means being available. I may also add that I dislike Microsoft doesn't give to the .NET ecosystem the same care for games developers as Apple does for Swift and existing OS SDKs. As far as DirectX team is concerned, only C++ exists, and .NET team lets third party folks do the needful. Had it not been for MonoGame, Unity would never picked C# in first place, gone were the days of Managed DirectX and XNA, when the decision came to be as Unity did their cross-platform rewrite out of OS X.
paulddraper 2y ago
Lol, as long as it’s the preferred programming language for the most lucrative consumer devices ever, it cannot die. Impossible to argue otherwise.
technol0gic 2y ago
trolling for reactions is trite and predictable
sgt 2y ago
There's a lot more buzz and activity around Swift than many other languages. It's literally up there with Rust, in terms of excitement (perhaps not quite as high). But I think if they get excitement outside of the Apple ecosystem, things should start to get super interesting. Some are already adopting it like Ladybird browser.
- dzikimarian 2y ago
  Sorry to be mood killer, but I think that might be your bubble. That's a first news about Swift I've seen in a long time and I don't see a reason to try it, given alternatives. Nowhere near Rust level of presence in discussion.
- homebrewer 2y ago
  If we're trading anecdotes, I'll share mine as someone's who's completely outside of Apple ecosystem and is not interested in it in the slightest: I only ever hear about Swift on HN, nowhere else. Most of my colleagues, friends and acquaintances (who is in IT, but none of whom are Apple users) don't even know it exist, while everyone has at least heard about Rust. We all live in bubbles, admit it.

by gruuuk 2y ago

They should have been fully open source with full linux support and parity since day one. That would actually help the language get traction. At this point it's a dying language.

tombert 2y ago

Is it dying? I think it's still pretty popular for app development isn't it? I was pretty excited to hear that Ladybird is doing a lot of stuff in Swift, because I think it's a pretty decent and fast language and I think it'd be pretty neat to see a browser written in it.

flohofwoe 2y ago
It's essentially "Big in Japan" (eg on Apple platforms but nowhere else). Even on Apple platforms I winder if ObjC is actually still more popular ;)
- Longhanks 2y ago
  Well if you wonder you should conduct some simple research, but be prepared to have your opinion challenged. Swift ist doing very fine and much more popular than ObjC (again, if you don't believe it, invest 5 minutes into research).

ChrisMarshallNY 2y ago

> At this point it's a dying language. I disagree. Source: Someone who has been programming Apple since 1986, and has heard last rites being administered to Apple, many times.

lawgimenez 2y ago

Come on now, iOS development is my livelihood.

napierzaza 2y ago

No one uses Apple platforms - sent from my iPhone

fastball 2y ago

What language are you using to develop native apps for macOS and iOS and visionOS and watchOS, since Swift is dying?

jayd16 2y ago
C#, Unity.
- atkailash 2y ago
  [dead]
- pjmlp 2y ago
  Which rely on a mix of Objective-C and Swift APIs to actually interact with the platform.
  - jayd16 2y ago
    What's your point? That's what Apple makes available. I'd use the C# API if that's how they provided it. If not dominating the games on those plarforms, Unity and C# have a strong footing to say the least. Swift doesn't seem to be making very much headway on platforms where APIs are available in anything else. Maybe that can chance. It seems like a neat language but "it's popular because apple forces you to use it" is more damning than reassuring.
    - pjmlp 2y ago
      The point is that they are guest languages on Apple ecosystem and need Apple tooling and languages as means being available. I may also add that I dislike Microsoft doesn't give to the .NET ecosystem the same care for games developers as Apple does for Swift and existing OS SDKs. As far as DirectX team is concerned, only C++ exists, and .NET team lets third party folks do the needful. Had it not been for MonoGame, Unity would never picked C# in first place, gone were the days of Managed DirectX and XNA, when the decision came to be as Unity did their cross-platform rewrite out of OS X.

paulddraper 2y ago

Lol, as long as it’s the preferred programming language for the most lucrative consumer devices ever, it cannot die. Impossible to argue otherwise.

technol0gic 2y ago

trolling for reactions is trite and predictable

sgt 2y ago

There's a lot more buzz and activity around Swift than many other languages. It's literally up there with Rust, in terms of excitement (perhaps not quite as high). But I think if they get excitement outside of the Apple ecosystem, things should start to get super interesting. Some are already adopting it like Ladybird browser.

dzikimarian 2y ago
Sorry to be mood killer, but I think that might be your bubble. That's a first news about Swift I've seen in a long time and I don't see a reason to try it, given alternatives. Nowhere near Rust level of presence in discussion.
homebrewer 2y ago
If we're trading anecdotes, I'll share mine as someone's who's completely outside of Apple ecosystem and is not interested in it in the slightest: I only ever hear about Swift on HN, nowhere else. Most of my colleagues, friends and acquaintances (who is in IT, but none of whom are Apple users) don't even know it exist, while everyone has at least heard about Rust. We all live in bubbles, admit it.