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Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Apple Apps written in Objective-C can now use 'Swift' language

U.S. Patent Number 5,883,639 'Visual Software Engineering system and method for developing visual prototypes and for connecting user code to them' Date of Patent: Mar. 16, 1999 PHOTO: The software methods used by Apple Computer to write iPhone apps was first developed in Objective-C, which is at the center of a U.S. software patent, which I am named as an inventor on at Hewlett-Packard: U.S. Patent Number 5,883,639 "Visual Software Engineering system and method for developing visual prototypes and for connecting user code to them" Date of Patent: Mar. 16, 1999. See previous posts U.S. Patent number 5,883,639 dated Mar. 16, 1999 (9/24/2011), Steve Jobs never acknowledged standing on the shoulders of giants (10/28/11)and HP 110, Apple, Steve Sakoman book (12/18/08) book by Steve Hamm, "The Race for Perfect: Inside the Quest to Design the Ultimate Portable Computer," Amazon.com accessed Nov. 18, 2008.

For years, Apple computer has been using the Objective-C language to write apps for the iPhone, but they are now migrating to the use of new, backward compatible, language, "Swift," as reported by Joshua Brustein, "A Swift Takeoff. Developers and academics are embracing Apple's new programming language," Bloomberg Businessweek, Jun.8-14, 2015, p. 39-40 posted as "Apple's Biggest Breakthrough That Almost No One Knows About. Swift, the new computer language introduced by Apple a year ago, has already won over legions of coders" bloomberg.com posted June 4, 2015

In addition to the above article, the business and strategic importance of software, including Swift and Objective-C, was featured in the next week's special print issue by Paul Ford, "The Code Issue, " Businessweek, Jun. 15-28, 2015, p. 1-112, cover whose press release boasts it is "on Demystifying Code" for managers. .

The "Introducing Swift," overview page at developer.apple.com accessed Jun. 8, 2015 says, "Swift is an innovative new programming language for Cocoa and Cocoa Touch. Writing code is interactive and fun, the syntax is concise yet expressive, and apps run lightning-fast. Swift is ready for your next iOS and OS X project -- or for addition into your current app -- because Swift code works side-by-side with Objective-C." -- also see "Swift (programming language)," From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia accessed Jun. 8, 2015 and "Objective-C" From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia accessed Jun. 8, 2015.

Objective-C was used extensively in many Hewlett-Packard instruments before the company split up into Agilent Technologies, which later spun off Keysight Technologies: See Martin L. Griss, "Software reuse at Hewlett-Packard," Hewlett-Packard Labs, March, 1991 (PDF) and Tom Love, "Object Lessons: Lessons Learned in Object-Oriented Development Projects," Cambridge University Press, Dec 13, 1997, p. 93. (Note: Hewlett-Packard Journal was published in 50 volumes, from 1949 until 1998 and HP Journal - online issues at HP Labs can be downloaded for the 1992 Issues referenced, specifically: HP Journal, Oct. 1992 (PDF).