Defining our goals for this book

Swift is a programming language developed by Apple to allow developers to continue pushing their platforms forward. It is their attempt to make iOS and OS X app development more modern, safe, and powerful.

Developers have already begun looking for ways to push Swift to do even more than iOS and OS X app development. Some are using it to create command-line scripts to replace/supplement the existing scripting languages, such as Python and Ruby. However, Apple's priority, at least for now, is to make it the best language possible to facilitate app development.

It is important to note that learning Swift is only the first step towards developing Apple's platforms. To develop a device, you must learn the programming language and the frameworks that the device maker provides. Skill in a programming language is the foundation to get better at using frameworks, and ultimately building apps.

Developing software is like building a table. You can learn the basics of woodworking and nail a few pieces of wood together to make a functional table, but you are very limited in what you can do because you lack advanced woodworking skills. If you want to make a truly great table, first, you need to step away from the table and focus on developing your skill set. The better you are at using the tools, the more possibilities open up to you to create more advanced and high quality furniture. Similarly, with very limited knowledge of Swift, you can start to piece together a functional app from the code you find online. However, to really make something great, you have to put the time and effort into refining your language-related skill set. Every language feature or technique that you learn opens up more possibilities for your app.

That being said, most developers are driven by a passion to create things and solve problems. We learn best when we can channel our passions into truly improving ourselves and the world around us. We wouldn't want to get stuck learning the minutia of a language with no practical purpose.

The goal of this book is to develop your skills and confidence to dive passionately into creating compelling, maintainable, and elegant apps with Swift. To do this, we will introduce the syntax and features of Swift in a practical way. You will build up a rich toolset, and see it being put to real-world usage. So, without further ado, let's jump right into setting up our development environment.