Swift System is Now Open Source and Supports Linux

Michael Ilseman, an engineer on the Swift Standard Library team at Apple, writes: In June, Apple introduced Swift System, a new library for Apple platforms that provides idiomatic interfaces to system calls and low-level currency types. Today, I'm excited to announce that we're open-sourcing System and adding Linux support! Our vision is for System to eventually act as the single home for low-level system interfaces for all supported Swift platforms.

Idiomatic interface?

[JoeyRox]

When did programmers become obsessed with using ridiculous verbal complications to describe simple concepts? System is a library. Nobody every called cout an idiomatic C++ interface to the console.

Reminds me of the Oswald Bates skits from In Living Color: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71xxvp5R9hE [youtube.com]

Re:Idiomatic interface?

[X2b5Ysb8]

It’s idiomatic in the sense that it uses all the Swift language features and idioms instead of just being a wrapper around C functions.

Re: Idiomatic interface?

[JoeyRox]

That's understood. And it's no different than built-in libraries available in any other language. Most people just call them "libraries" or "modules". The fact they use language-specific constructs is implied by the fact they're accessible from that language, ie the entire syntax of a language is idiomatic to that language.

Re:

[X2b5Ysb8]

And it's no different than built-in libraries available in any other language.

Except this is not “built in”.

Most people just call them "libraries" or "modules".

From the project page. First sentence.

In June, Apple introduced Swift System, a new library for Apple platforms that provides idiomatic interfaces to system calls and low-level currency types.

. You do understand you can build a non idiomatic library in swift, ie does use proper naming conventions, doesn’t use the build in error checking, etc...

Re:

[phantomfive]

It also doesn't work. From the article:

"System is only in its infancy—it currently includes a small number of system calls.... There’s a ton of exciting work left to do. System (especially the forthcoming Windows support!) is a fantastic opportunity to get involved"

So go help them out and do work for free.

You are never doing work for free

[SuperKendall]

So go help them out and do work for free.

The reason you are doing any work on an open source project is not to do work "for free", but instead doing work where the payment for you, is the final result from a number of contributors also doing work where the combination benefits you all.

And the best part is, like all the best kinds of payments it yields dividends far into the future.

You seem to be awfully down on work that yields superior results for you personally vs. work that merely gives you money for pay

Re:

[phantomfive]

I have no problem with open source, and I've contributed to it.

I am particularly mocking a well-funded foundation who releases a barely working starter project and then asks open source developers to come build it for them. Apple used to have good engineers, but they've mostly retired.

Re:

[X2b5Ysb8]

I am particularly mocking a well-funded foundation who releases a barely working starter project and then asks open source developers to come build it for them.

Apple is not asking you do do anything. But they don’t care if it works on Linux or windows. Now you might and the hallowing you to add those contributions because it doesn’t contribute anything to Apple.

Re:

[phantomfive]

I want you to read carefully again. They are in fact asking developers to come help them. I quoted the part from the article where they asked that.

Re:

[SuperKendall]

They are in fact asking developers to come help them.

I want to read my post MORE carefully, apparently what I said flew right past you as what you said here is utterly irrelevant to my point.

Re:

[phantomfive]

I want to read my post MORE carefully,

Then please do, I encourage that act.

Re:

[X2b5Ysb8]

So go help them out and do work for free.

Or don’t. That’s the beauty of open source, you can contribute as much or as little as you want yet still reap the rewards.

Re:

[Waccoon]

Marketing is used by everyone for all things. Sometimes for money, sometimes for power, and sometimes just for ego.

Currency type

[phantomfive]

What on earth is a "low level currency type?"

Re: Currency type

[MemeRot]

Probably only handles the bolivar

Re:

[93 Escort Wagon]

Or the ruble.

Re:

[X2b5Ysb8]

"low level Concurrency type?"

Fixed that for you. They mean the primitive types and functions for thread syntonization like locks and mutex.

Re:

[phantomfive]

That would make sense, but why would an engineer on the team write currency instead of concurrency, multiple times?

Re:

[X2b5Ysb8]

Engineers concentrated on the Engineering courses not there English courses.

Didn't Swift always support Linux?

[fygment]

No?

Re:

[X2b5Ysb8]

Yes but this particular library didn’t.