Apple shocks world with Swift open-source move.
Apple is not a company known for its transparency or openness – let’s face it, they like the closed garden everything-under-our-control approach.
All the more shocking, then, when Appple announce that their Rust-like programming language Swift (created by Chris Lattner) – and used by many a OS-X and iOS programmer to produce their apps – is now going open source.
Such was the surprise at the move that the Apple support site at www.swift.org crashed under the weight of traffic coming in to check out the language and the now open source Linux binaries.
“By making Swift open source the entire developer community can contribute to the programming language and help bring it to even more platforms,” Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering, told SFcrowsnest. “Swift’s power and ease of use will inspire a new generation to get into coding, and with today’s announcement they’ll be able to take their ideas anywhere, from mobile devices to the cloud.”
Apple tools used for Android development? It’s a brave new world, folks.
What is that sound? The sound of the chains on Steve Job’s ghost clanking as he plans a Scrooge-like visit on Apple’s masters? Could be!
