{"id":11706,"date":"2023-03-21T21:18:54","date_gmt":"2023-03-21T21:18:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.computerscience.org\/?p=11706"},"modified":"2024-08-09T18:30:11","modified_gmt":"2024-08-09T18:30:11","slug":"computer-programming-objective-c","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.computerscience.org\/resources\/computer-programming-languages\/objective-c\/","title":{"rendered":"Computer Programming Languages: Objective-C"},"content":{"rendered":"

Objective-C is an object-oriented programming language developers use to create applications for Apple's macOS, iOS, and iPad operating systems.<\/p>\r\n

Among computer programming languages, Objective-C is easy to understand, and is known for its dynamic binding and reflection capabilities.<\/p>\r\n

Moreover, this programming language can be used with C and C++ code, allowing developers to take advantage of existing libraries and frameworks. It is also commonly used for developing games and other interactive applications.<\/p>\r\n

Learning Objective-C may lead to job opportunities, work within the Apple ecosystem, and skills for handling legacy code.<\/p>\r\n

If you want to learn more about Objective-C, read on to discover its pros and cons, how it compares to other languages, and additional resources.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/sonic-editorial-listings>\r\n\r\n\n \n \n <\/a>\n\n \r\n

What Is Objective-C?<\/h2>\r\n

Objective-C is a high-level programming language<\/a> based on C. It has a small number of additions to support object-oriented programming concepts such as classes, objects, and polymorphism.<\/p>\r\n

Brad Cox and Tom Love developed Objective-C in the early 1980s. Steve Jobs and NeXT later popularized it in the late 1980s and early 1990s.<\/p>\r\n

Here are three applications of the Objective-C language:<\/p>\r\n

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iOS and macOS Development<\/h3>\r\n

Objective-C is the primary programming language for developing apps such as games, productivity tools, and utilities for Apple’s operating systems.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

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Embedded Systems and IoT<\/h3>\r\n

Developers use Objective-C to create applications for embedded systems and IoTdevices because of its small footprint and ability to run on low-powered devices.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

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Embedded Systems and IoT<\/h3>\r\n

Game development widely uses Objective-C for its ability to interact with the operating system and other system services, allowing developers to create games with advanced graphics, physics engines, and multiplayer functionality.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n

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Why Use Objective-C?<\/h2>\r\n

Objective-C is the primary programming language for Apple’s platforms. Apple’s development tools, such as Xcode, intend for developers to use Objective-C (and other languages) to interact with the Cocoa and Cocoa Touch frameworks.<\/p>\r\n

Objective-C has a large and active developer community, and there are many resources to help developers create apps for Apple's platforms.<\/p>\r\n

Objective-C is a mature, stable language coders have been using for many years. As such, it has a large body of existing code. It also offers a powerful runtime system that enables dynamic binding.<\/p>\r\n

However, Objective-C may also limit developers to iOS development, which is less universal and accessible than Android development. The table below outlines additional pros and cons of Objective-C.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\n \n \n <\/a>\n\n \r\n

Pros and Cons of Objective-C<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\nPros<\/strong>\r\n<\/th>\r\n\r\nCons<\/strong>\r\n<\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/thead>\r\n
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Objective-C has wide support because it is the primary programming language for Apple’s operating systems.<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

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Objective-C may not be suitable for developers who want to create cross-platform apps.<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n

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Objective-C has a large and active developer community.<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

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Compared to other object-oriented languages, Objective-C has a more verbose syntax.<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n

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Objective-C is based on C, so developers familiar with C can quickly learn and take advantage of existing C libraries and frameworks.<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

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Objective-C uses reference counting for memory management, which can be less efficient than other approaches.<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n\r\n\r\n

Companies That Use Objective-C<\/h3>\r\n