How cool is Swift?

Swift is a highly versatile and modern programming language that has been designed to be both powerful and approachable. It is known for its incredible performance, safety, and lightweight syntax, making it a joy to program in. Swift is not only the premier language for writing apps on Apple's devices but also excels as a cross-platform systems language, suitable for server applications and even resource-constrained environments like smart home devices.

Here are some key points about Swift from the WWDC sessions:

Versatility and Performance: Swift is used throughout Apple's software stack, from apps and system services to frameworks and firmware like the secure enclave. It is also used for network services like private cloud compute. Swift's safety, speed, and approachability, combined with built-in C and C++ interoperability, make it a compelling choice for performance-sensitive and secure code (Platforms State of the Union).
Evolution and Community: Swift has evolved significantly since its introduction. It was open-sourced a year after its announcement and has a community-driven evolution process. The language has seen major updates, including the introduction of Swift Package Manager, concurrency model with async/await, and distributed actors (What’s new in Swift).
SwiftUI Integration: SwiftUI, which leverages Swift's unique features, is the best way to build apps for any Apple device. It allows developers to focus on describing the UI they want, while SwiftUI handles details like dark mode, dynamic type, and tracking changes in the model. This integration enables code sharing across multiple devices and provides a large set of modifiers and protocols for customization (Platforms State of the Union).
Educational and Practical: Swift is designed to be easy to learn for newcomers while being powerful for experts. It supports a wide range of programming paradigms and provides tools to write elegant yet powerful code. For example, Swift's value types, error handling, and concurrency features are designed to help developers write safe and efficient code (A Swift Tour: Explore Swift’s features and design).

In summary, Swift is a cool and highly capable programming language that continues to evolve and expand its reach across different platforms and domains. It is celebrated for its safety, speed, and ease of use, making it a preferred choice for both app development and system-level programming.