For a long time now, developing apps for iOS and Mac devices has entailed learning Objective C, and building upon what already existed in C. A few years ago, Apple announced Swift, its own open source programming language that is quickly finding acceptance among developers. Swift was built to replace C and Objective-C as the de-facto programming languages of Apple platforms, both traditional and embedded. There are many advantages to using Swift as the primary development language for Apple platforms.
Most younger developers are familiar with languages such as Python and often find the complexity of C and its derivative Objective-C, difficult. For those who are looking for a powerful but easy programming language, Swift is a great choice. Swift does not have any of the kinks that come with Objective-C. You do not have to use those multiple punctuation marks, you do not need to use frackers too many times, and surprisingly, coding in Swift is almost like coding in English language. What’s more, Swift is easy to learn, and easy to execute. People who know other programming language will find it easier to adopt Swift.
Objective-C has always been a source of bugs and errors. While it is a powerful language, the fact that it is so complex makes it difficult to secure. With many loopholes in it, Objective-C has been a security analyst’s nightmare. Not so with Swift. Swift is very clear and warns you when you write sub-standard code. These compiler errors help you to identify mistakes as you code, and you will be able to fix bugs and also save money. For instance, if you get your app developed by an agency in Swift, you will probably be focusing less on fixing bugs and conducting your business efficiently.
It is a well known fact that developers maintain 2 files when working with Objective-C. What Swift does is, it eliminates the need for developers to work with two files. This reduces errors greatly, and ensures that the code written for an app is clean and error-free. The way Swift is built is also partly responsible for making it less error-prone than other programme languages. It ensures that unexpected behaviour is reduced, and apps function as they are required to. You don’t want your customers to write that your app started to act strangely in the reviews, do you?
There is a lot of cohesion within Swift. It unifies the programming language in such a way that you do not have to worry about a memory management. Apple ensures that Swift manages memory automatically and that too in a very efficient manner. You can expect your apps to function without lags, and this is very important in graphic-intensive platforms such as iOS. With tactile development coming into picture, this becomes all the more important. Your users will not feel that your app is broken, when their tactile interactions run smoothly.
Swift is a compact language and it does. not require reams of code to be written. If you have already begun to process of moving from legacy systems to something more modern, consider moving to Swift development part of that strategy. When you get your app developed in Swift, you are ensuring that the code is simple. This means, if there are any changes to be made, or any customization, it is a lot swifter, pun intended. In fact, if you already have an app developed in Objective-C, you can reduce the line of code by almost 3 times.
As discussed earlier, Swift requires less code, and moves away from legacy programming techniques followed in Objective-C. This ensures that the language is cleaner and simpler. This is reflected in the app quality as well. Your app will feel a lot less cluttered and easier to work with. And of course, if you are looking for customization for changes within your app, Swift is easy to customize as it is cleaner. Thanks to the implicit namespaces within Swift, your developer can maintain the same code file across several projects of yours. This eliminates the bookkeeping which is required in Objective-C.
Swift comes with dynamic libraries which allow your developer to link chunks of executable code to your app. Whenever newer versions of Swift are released, the apps gets easier to update. While dynamic libraries have been supported by Macs for quite sometime, iOS now supports them too. This means there is no need to write code unnecessarily each time Swift is updated. This reduces your overall expenditure on development. Overall, this helps to maintain a responsiveness on iOS apps, while also enhancing performance.
Swift comes with something called Swift Playgrounds. This ensures that developers can test code without having to create the whole app. The Playground makes the process of building an app very interactive, and developers can continuously check small packets of codes to see if they are going in the right direction. If you are thinking about custom views and specific customization, this is something that will certainly help you reduce time and costs. Most importantly, the entire app need not be built just to check if a part of the application is working well. Playgrounds allows your developer to keep checking the app’s code as he builds it.
Swift is part of the future of iOS and Mac OS development
While objective C will continue to find relevance and takers, Swift will be increasingly used by developers, especially the Youngers ones who have just begun to start their careers. This is mostly because older professionals are more comfortable working with Objective-C, whereas the younger ones are more comfortable working with Swift. While Swift has its obvious advantages, it does not make it inherently superior Objective-C, which is a more complex and time-tested language. Both have their uses, advantages and disadvantages. However do speak too your developer to understand which one would be the right option while developing apps for your business.
