The Ladybird browser is replacing C++ with... Swift?

Episode Overview

• The team behind the Ladybird browser discusses their process for evaluating new programming languages to potentially replace their original C++ codebase.
• Andreas Kling explains why Rust, despite its popularity and memory safety features, proved to be a frustrating choice for browser development due to its paradigms clashing with the web's object-oriented foundation.
• The team conducted an experiment where developers implemented features in different languages, leading to a clear preference.
• Swift emerged as the surprising frontrunner, offering a positive developer experience with its modern, memory-safe, and strong object-oriented capabilities.

Key Concepts

The primary theme is choosing the right tool for the job by prioritizing practical application and developer experience over industry hype. The discussion highlights that a language's design philosophy must align with the architecture of the problem domain. In this case, Rust's lack of traditional object-oriented features like inheritance made it difficult to work with the web's legacy, object-oriented APIs. The evaluation process favored Swift because it provided memory safety while also fitting the architectural needs of a web browser more naturally, resulting in higher developer productivity and satisfaction.

Quotes

• At 01:37 - "It turns out it's not ideal for building a browser... it's super object oriented, and it's just hard to express all that stuff in Rust because Rust doesn't lend itself to object oriented programming." - Andreas Kling explaining why Rust was a poor fit for the project.
• At 02:45 - "And the one that everybody has liked so far has been Swift." - Andreas Kling revealing the preferred language that emerged from their team's evaluation.

Takeaways

• Evaluate new technologies based on practical implementation for your specific use case, not just on popularity or hype.
• A language's core design paradigms must align with the architecture of the system you are building on.
• Developer experience and productivity are critical factors; a tool that causes frustration can hinder progress, regardless of its technical merits.
• Swift is a powerful, memory-safe language with strong object-oriented features, making it a viable candidate for complex systems programming beyond just Apple platforms.