Developers proficient in Swift can now create applications for the Windows platform.
. title: Swift on Windows: Develop Windows Apps with Your Favorite Language
Hello developers, joyful tidings on the horizon! Now, you can create Windows apps using your preferred programming language, and that 'happen-to-be' Swift. More options in the coding department are always a hit for all app creators, across various platforms.
The Swift team recently introduced Swift toolchain images for Windows, consisting of essential components needed for developing and executing Swift code on the Windows operating system.
As per a blog post penned by Saleem Abdulrasool, a member of the Swift Core Team, the migration of Swift to Windows isn't merely porting the compiler but ensuring the entire ecosystem thrives on the platform—compiler, standard library, core libraries (dispatch, Foundation, XCTest). These libraries empower developers to construct robust applications with minimal system-related concerns.
In a video excerpt, Abdulrasool delves into the technical aspects of porting Swift to Windows, which you can scrutinize right below:
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The Swift toolchain was verified by developing a simple ** calculator app** using Swift and Visual Studio 2019. The calculator was structured via CMake; however, Abdulrasool anticipates the soon arrival of a Swift Package Manager support, allowing app development via Swift builds.
Readdle Inc, the innovative minds behind the Spark email app, are currently engaged in building a cross-platform edition of their popular client.
Abdulrasool expresses that transitioning Swift to Windows consumes over a year's worth of labor, and Swift for Windows symbolizes the first step of a broader evolution in which Swift can claim the title of a Windows app development pillar.
Swift made its open-source debut as early as 2015 by Apple with the aim to invite the entire developer community to contribute to the programming language and extend its reach across additional platforms. In the words of Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering, Craig Federighi, "the entire developer community can contribute to the programming language and help bring it to even more platforms."
Grab the Swift toolchain for Windows 10 here.
Image Credits: littlebitesofcocoa
Enrichment Insights:
- Swift Basics: Before diving into Swift for Windows development, familiarize yourself with its basics through resources like "Master Swift: The Ultimate Guide!" on YouTube—covering variables, control flow, functions, and object-oriented programming in Swift.
- Swift.org: Delve into the capabilities and syntax of Swift, a versatile language supporting object-oriented, functional, and other programming paradigms, on the official Swift website (Swift.org).
- Alternatives for Windows App Development: If you're interested in cross-platform app development, consider exploring frameworks like Flutter or React Native, enabling app creation for multiple platforms leveraging a single codebase.
- Developers now have the opportunity to create Windows apps using their preferred programming language, such as Swift, thanks to the Swift team's introduction of toolchain images for Windows.
- The migration of Swift to Windows is a significant step towards making it a key component in app development on Windows, as expresses by Saleem Abdulrasool, a member of the Swift Core Team.
