With UIKit as the basis for much of visionOS’ platform, I guess it's cemented its place in the next decade or two of Apple’s developer story. But what then is the point of SwiftUI if not to be the foundation for Apple's next OS? Why push it so hard now? Developer lock-in, abstraction away from the 'real’ frameworks beneath? One framework for me, another for thee? You can never usurp Apple's power & platform control if you're limited to a simplified, sanitized sandbox. Even warier now than before
@stroughtonsmith I always thought of SwiftUI as something that lowered the barrier to entry for people who wanted to make apps, while also ensuring that those apps would automatically follow platform conventions. 🤷🏻♀️ I enjoy using it, but it’s definitely necessary to dig in and fine tune it sometimes.
@stroughtonsmith being able to freeze-dry a SwiftUI.View and make it the basis for a Widget or WatchApp has major advantages, and the layout system is not shit like the AutoLayout dumpster fire. But like you I am so glad UIKit has a long life ahead…..
@stroughtonsmith I'm kind of happy having both, and hosting one inside the other whenever needed. Feels like a good mix of declarative + deep control. SwiftUIKit
@stroughtonsmith I think the reality is Apple came to the conclusion that SwiftUI isn’t mature enough yet to be the underpinning for visionOS. Which is probably the right decision.
Feels just like a misalignment of roadmap timeframes.
I’d bet that if visionOS wasn’t ready for another few years, SwiftUI would be the basis. But it’s ready now, and SwiftUI isn’t.
(Just thinking aloud, of course. I know SwiftUI has other benefits and use cases, and that it has invigorated the Apple development scene in other ways. But I'm even more confused now about why I would ever choose to use it when there's a better option, and I did think the headset would provide that reason)
@stroughtonsmith Curious about your thoughts about not having to manage the state interactions between data. Feels like for certain views, it can save a lot of time.
Of course anytime you want more power, it falls flat still.
@stroughtonsmith Maybe frame the difference between the two as an accessibility issue. I tried countless times to learn AppKit & UIKit and it never cemented itself in my brain. SwiftUI immediately took hold and I am now able to develop the apps I always wanted to make. We have different brains that respond to different stimuli. We can still party together into the future.
@stroughtonsmith seems like an opportune moment to plug my little project for smoothing the edges off UIKit. I surprised myself by how much can be done with Swift’s newer language features. https://github.com/benedictc/sweetui
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