Objective-C

Objective-C

Objective-C is a general-purpose, object-oriented programming language that adds Smalltalk-style messaging to the C programming language. It was the main programming language used by Apple for iOS and macOS development until the introduction of Swift.
Objective-C image
objectoriented apple ios macos

Objective-C: A General-Purpose, Object-Oriented Programming Language with Smalltalk-Style Messaging

Discover the features and uses of Objective-C, a powerful programming language that adds messaging to C for iOS and macOS development.

What is Objective-C?

Objective-C is a general-purpose, object-oriented programming language that adds Smalltalk-style messaging to the C programming language. It was originally developed in the early 1980s by Brad Cox and Tom Love at Stepstone. It later became popularized through its usage by NeXT for the NeXTSTEP operating system in the late 1980s.

When Steve Jobs founded NeXT after leaving Apple, Objective-C was chosen as the basis for NeXTSTEP's user interface and application development environment. This led Apple to acquire NeXT in 1996, bringing Objective-C and NeXT technologies to Apple products and paving the way for Mac OS X development.

Objective-C became the main programming language used by Apple for the Macintosh operating system, iOS, watchOS, and tvOS. It enabled rapid development of graphical, event-driven user interfaces and was ideal for Mac and iPhone apps. For many years, Apple's Cocoa and Cocoa Touch frameworks were based on Objective-C.

In 2014, Apple introduced the Swift programming language which began to replace Objective-C for Apple ecosystem development. However, Objective-C is still used alongside Swift and maintains relevance through its extensive use in existing Apple code and third-party libraries and frameworks.

Objective-C Features

Features

  1. Object-oriented programming
  2. Dynamic runtime
  3. Message passing
  4. Categories
  5. Protocols
  6. Generics
  7. Automatic reference counting

Pricing

  • Free
  • Open Source

Pros

Easy to learn for C/C++ programmers

Fast execution

Mature ecosystem and tooling

Used extensively in Apple platforms until recently

Cons

Verbose syntax

Lacks modern language features like type inference

Not memory safe

Less developer mindshare than Swift or other languages


The Best Objective-C Alternatives

Top Development and Programming Languages and other similar apps like Objective-C


Python icon

Python

Python is a high-level, general-purpose programming language that emphasizes code readability and rapid application development. It was created by Guido van Rossum in 1991 and has since become one of the most popular programming languages.Some key features of Python include:Easy to learn syntax that resembles everyday EnglishInterpreted language that can...
Python image
Go (Programming Language) icon

Go (Programming Language)

Go, also known as Golang, is an open source programming language first developed in 2007 by Robert Griesemer, Rob Pike, and Ken Thompson at Google. It combines the speed and efficiency of a compiled language like C or C++ with the ease of use and productivity of dynamic languages like...
Go (Programming Language) image
C# icon

C#

C# is an object-oriented, general-purpose programming language developed by Microsoft. It was first released in 2002 as part of the .NET framework, and since then has become one of the most popular programming languages used for building a wide range of applications.Some key features of C# include:Object-oriented - Supports concepts...
C# image
JavaScript icon

JavaScript

JavaScript is a lightweight, interpreted programming language with first-class functions that allows you to implement complex features on web pages. When JavaScript runs in a browser, it can:Access and modify a web page's content and markupRespond to user actionsCommunicate asynchronously using callback functionsAlter a web page's stylingAnimate page elementsJavaScript has...
JavaScript image
C (programming language) icon

C (programming language)

C is a general-purpose, procedural programming language originally developed by Dennis Ritchie between 1969 and 1973 at Bell Labs. It was originally implemented on the Unix operating system and its availability on a wide variety of platforms has made C one of the most widely used programming languages.Some key features...
C (programming language) image
Haskell icon

Haskell

Haskell is a statically typed, purely functional programming language that was designed to have very few implementation dependencies. It has a strong static type system with type inference and non-strict (lazy) evaluation by default. Some key features of Haskell include:Purity - Functions have no side effects, offering referential transparency and...
Haskell image
Magentrix icon

Magentrix

Magentrix is an open-source ecommerce platform that is a fork of Magento. It was created to provide an alternative ecommerce solution for small and medium-sized businesses with more flexibility and lower cost compared to Magento.Some key features of Magentrix include:Open-source software licensed under OSL 3.0Built on top of Magento community...
Magentrix image