Swift Move Semantics: A Comparison with C++
This article delves into the similarities and differences between move semantics in Swift and C++. Swift automatically performs move optimizations, which is beneficial for performance but can surprise C++ programmers accustomed to the RAII idiom. Swift's "non-copyable types" are similar to C++'s "move-only types," but Swift's moves are destructive, avoiding potential issues with C++'s "non-destructive moves." The article compares Swift's `consume` with C++'s `std::move`, and explains Swift's shortened variable lifetimes, parameter passing conventions (`consuming`, `borrowing`, `inout`), and the Law of Exclusivity. Finally, it discusses using non-copyable types for RAII, generics, and conditionally copyable types in Swift, and why Swift lacks perfect forwarding.