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If that were true, surely the Mac world would be dominated by Java applications written using AspectJ and the Java-Cocoa bridge? As it turns out, that didn't h

If that were true, surely the Mac world would be dominated by Java applications written using AspectJ and the Java-Cocoa bridge? As it turns out, that didn't happen - and not because Apple didn't try pushing Java as a Cocoa development language. What happened was users pushed back on slow launching, memory hungry Cocoa-Java apps. So another reason for Objective-C's success is that yes, it does all the things the original article states, but it also does them in an Ahead-Of-Time compiled, non-Virtual-Machine language - and that combination is pretty unique. My suspicion is that Obj-C's unique combination of features plays a large part in NeXT/Apple's success in producing a set of frameworks that are high-level enough to allow for rapid development, but are also able to create responsive applications on the desktop AND be able to scale down to mobile devices.

jimbokun 17y ago
"My suspicion is that Obj-C's unique combination of features plays a large part in NeXT/Apple's success in producing a set of frameworks that are high-level enough to allow for rapid development, but are also able to create responsive applications on the desktop AND be able to scale down to mobile devices." This does not get nearly enough attention when people think about the successes Apple has had over Microsoft since OS X. The sweet spot of a fast, compiled, dynamic language and tools built to leverage those strengths gives Apple a lot of flexibility and productivity in design and implementation, from the OS level to the GUI tool kit level. I think that where Microsoft increasingly found themselves pushing a ball of mud uphill with the Windows code base, Apple was able to do a lot of clever things with their software stack without changing the underlying design and architecture. Like porting their PC OS to a cell phone and allowing their developers to leverage much of their existing skills to make apps for it. During Jobs' Nexodus, the NextStep environment became the main product because it was such a productive way to build software. With the return to Apple, it stopped being the product and started becoming a competitive advantage.

jimbokun 17y ago

"My suspicion is that Obj-C's unique combination of features plays a large part in NeXT/Apple's success in producing a set of frameworks that are high-level enough to allow for rapid development, but are also able to create responsive applications on the desktop AND be able to scale down to mobile devices." This does not get nearly enough attention when people think about the successes Apple has had over Microsoft since OS X. The sweet spot of a fast, compiled, dynamic language and tools built to leverage those strengths gives Apple a lot of flexibility and productivity in design and implementation, from the OS level to the GUI tool kit level. I think that where Microsoft increasingly found themselves pushing a ball of mud uphill with the Windows code base, Apple was able to do a lot of clever things with their software stack without changing the underlying design and architecture. Like porting their PC OS to a cell phone and allowing their developers to leverage much of their existing skills to make apps for it. During Jobs' Nexodus, the NextStep environment became the main product because it was such a productive way to build software. With the return to Apple, it stopped being the product and started becoming a competitive advantage.