Objective-C is like Jimi Hendrix (2014)

The author draws a parallel between Jimi Hendrix's revolutionary impact on guitar music and the programming language Objective-C. Initially, the author did not appreciate Hendrix's influence, recognizing only later how he transformed guitar playing. Similarly, the author reflects on their experience with Objective-C, noting that while seasoned programmers praise its features like runtime capabilities and method swizzling, they find these aspects less impressive due to their familiarity with modern programming languages. The author, who began programming in the late 1990s, acknowledges that many contemporary languages have built upon the innovations introduced by Objective-C without the constraints of backward compatibility. They suggest that new Objective-C learners should consider the perspective of 1980s C programmers, who would have found the language's features groundbreaking. The author also mentions that while Java lacks some of Objective-C's dynamism, many of its functionalities can be replicated through reflection and other modern programming techniques. Overall, the piece highlights the evolution of programming languages and the shifting perceptions of their features over time.