Apple makes its Swift language open source

[Commodus]

Surprised I haven't seen folks touch on this: Apple just open-sourced Swift, the close-to-the-metal programming language you can use for iOS or OS X. And the kicker? It supports Linux, too, so it's not strictly self-serving.

It's on an Apache license, so it won't please the GNU purists that worship at Richard Stallman's feet. All the same, it's nice to see Apple still open-sourcing a lot of its code, and not just the "safe" stuff (i.e. things that won't help other platforms). Anyone had a chance to play with Swift yet?

 

[Essence_of_War]

Apache 2.0 is a perfectly reasonable "free as in freedom" software license.

https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html

Apache License, Version 2.0 (#apache2) This is a free software license, compatible with version 3 of the GNU GPL.
Please note that this license is not compatible with GPL version 2, because it has some requirements that are not in that GPL version. These include certain patent termination and indemnification provisions. The patent termination provision is a good thing, which is why we recommend the Apache 2.0 license for substantial programs over other lax permissive licenses.

So I see no reason why any "GNU purists that worship at Richard Stallman's feet" would take issue with it. Apache 2.0 is a great choice for a permissive license.

 

[lxskllr]

Apache 2.0 is a perfectly reasonable "free as in freedom" software license.

https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html


So I see no reason why any "GNU purists that worship at Richard Stallman's feet" would take issue with it. Apache 2.0 is a great choice for a permissive license.

I don't like permissive licenses. It's only as free as a company chooses. This could be a single code drop, and you'd never see another line of code again. It can also be wrapped up in proprietary software, and the net effect is like not having code at all. Apache is better than nothing, but I'll always prefer gpl, and use that as a deciding factor when considering similar software.

 

[Essence_of_War]

I don't like permissive licenses. It's only as free as a company chooses. This could be a single code drop, and you'd never see another line of code again. It can also be wrapped up in proprietary software, and the net effect is like not having code at all. Apache is better than nothing, but I'll always prefer gpl, and use that as a deciding factor when considering similar software.

I prefer copyleft licenses too, and as you point out, there are many issues with permissive license that shouldn't be overlooked. Permissive licenses have a couple of big advantages. Many businesses that balk at GPL code (rightly or wrongly, good-ly or evil-ly) will develop and work with permissive code, and especially when you're pushing a new development language/environment, that can be a big deal where a permissive license can really push adoption.

I think that makes APL a good choice that advances the long term cause of software freedom.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Never heard of this language but it's nice to see a company doing this for sure.

 

[amyklai]

The real question is in what space (outside the Apple ecosystem) is Swift going to be interesting / relevant?

 

[Commodus]

Apache 2.0 is a perfectly reasonable "free as in freedom" software license.

https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html

So I see no reason why any "GNU purists that worship at Richard Stallman's feet" would take issue with it. Apache 2.0 is a great choice for a permissive license.

I agree that Apache is just dandy... the issue is that a subset of the open source community believes anything other than a GPL license is a broken product, if not a betrayal. You know that saying about never overlooking the good in pursuit of the perfect? Well, that particular GNU camp insists only on the perfect, no matter how much it hurts their cause.

Apple is unlikely to ever embrace the GPL, and nor should we expect it to. It's a hardware company that uses distinctive software as a selling point -- it's just not going to give away the keys to the kingdom. I'm just happy that it has open-sourced important code (Swift, WebKit, Darwin) rather than limiting it to side projects.

 

[Commodus]

The real question is in what space (outside the Apple ecosystem) is Swift going to be interesting / relevant?

I'm sure it'll mostly be useful in Apple's sphere, but I'd like to see how it's used in Linux. Higher-performing apps, maybe?