Programming Basics in Objective-C

Abstract

Objective-C is an elegant language. It mixes the efficiency of the C language with the object-oriented goodness of Smalltalk. This combination was introduced in the mid-1980s and is still powering the fantastic applications behind the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. How does a language that is more than 20 years old stay relevant and useful after all that time? Well, some of its success is because the two languages that make up Objective-C are well-tested and well-designed. Another reason is less obvious: the various frameworks available for iOS and macOS make developing full-featured applications much easier. These frameworks benefit from the fact that they have been around a long time, which equates to stability and high functionality. Lastly, Objective-C is highly dynamic. While we won’t be focusing on that particular feature in this chapter, the dynamic nature of Objective-C provides a flexibility not found in many compiled languages. With all of these great features, Objective-C and the corresponding frameworks provide an excellent palette from which to create a masterpiece!