Objective-C vs. Swift
If we talk about Swift, it was developed by Apple Inc., Swift is a modern, general-purpose, compiled programming language. Swift was introduced in 2014 as an alternative to Objective-C, aiming to provide a more safe and efficient language for Apple platform development. Swift can be used to develop various Apple platforms, such as iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS. It came up with more concise and cleaner code compared to Objective-C.
Let’s compare both languages with the below comparison matrix.
| Comparison Criteria | Objective-C | Swift |
|---|---|---|
| Syntax | Syntax in Objective-C can appear to be verbose compared to other programming languages. It requires method calls to be enclosed in square brackets, which might feel unfamiliar to developers. | Swift code is cleaner and more concise compared to Objective-C. Method calls can be made using dot operators, the same as in most modern programming languages. |
|
Readability |
Pointers and memory management require explicit handling, which improves the code quality. | Features such as optionals, type interfaces, and closures help in enhancing code and reducing boilerplate code. |
|
Performance |
The performance here is reliable, benefiting from years of optimization and refinement. Features such as dynamic typing and message passing can result in an overhead in performance. | It’s designed to be fast and efficient, leveraging modern compilers and the latest language features. Offers improved performance over Objective-C in many cases. |
|
Safety |
Objective-C developers need to manage memory manually through the retain-release cycle, which increases memory leaks and crash occurrences. The absence of nullability enforcement by the compiler can result in a runtime crash. | It prioritizes safety and reliability by incorporating features like optionals and strong typing. The compiler performs rigorous type checks, which helps catch errors at compile time itself. |
|
Interoperability |
Code written in Objective-C can be easily integrated into Swift projects by using bridging headers, enabling incremental migration from Objective-C to Swift. | Swift can make calls to Objective-C APIs directly and vice versa, allowing easy collaboration between legacy and modern codebases. |
| Learning curve | Objective-C has a steep learning curve, mainly for developers who are unfamiliar with its syntax and concepts such as pointers and manual memory management. | Swift offers a more approachable learning curve, mainly for developers who are already familiar with modern programming languages. Swift has constantly gained significant adoption since its introduction. |
| Community and Ecosystem | Due to its longer history, Objective-C has a larger existing codebase and ecosystem, but new development is shifting rapidly towards Swift. | Benefits from a modern and enthusiastic community and continued support and updates from Apple. Also, Swift’s open-source nature has led to cross-platform adoption beyond Apple’s ecosystem. |
What Is Objective C? (Definition, Uses, vs. Swift)
In this huge world of software development, especially within Apple’s ecosystem, the language that underpins much of the innovation and creation is Objective-C. Rooted in computing history, Objective-C has been a favorite language for developers driving the intricacies of Apple’s platforms for many years. With the arrival of Swift, a modern, concise, and more efficient language than Onjective-C. Also, questions arise regarding the relevance and solid significance of Objective-C in today’s landscape.
In this article, we will have a deep look into the uses of Objective-C along with its comparison with the modern featured language Swift. Let’s get started.
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