Apple Programming Language Swift Goes Open Source

Apple has officially made Swift, its programming language that it first announced at WWDC 2014, an open source project. The company announced its intentions to do so earlier this year, and has now posted the Swift compiler's source code and standard library functions and objects online at its own website, Swift.org. By making Swift open source, it allows developers to use language as they please, making things other than apps for iOS and Mac OS X if they wish.

Another benefit of open sourcing Swift is that it is no longer a product of Apple, and therefore subject to what the company decides. Should Apple ever choose stop using the language, it could still continue to be improved and supported by other developers.

We are excited by this new chapter in the story of Swift. After Apple unveiled the Swift programming language, it quickly became one of the fastest growing languages in history. Swift makes it easy to write software that is incredibly fast and safe by design. Now that Swift is open source, you can help make the best general purpose programming language available everywhere.

The Swift.org website now offers a Linux port, further expanding access to the language. Apple is also sharing a number of guidelines and features for the upcoming Swift 3 to help gather feedback while it's in early development.

SOURCE Swift.org

VIA 9to5Mac