&gt; compiles to native code, specific to a platform
&gt; deterministic runtime performance (no GC, no JIT)
&gt; lightweight &quot;exceptions&quot;<p>Seems way more similar to C++ than java.<p>Also Obj-C&#x27;s success or failure as a C replacement (I can&#x27;t imagine using it as one... it&#x27;s not going to run well on embedded devices) has little to do with swift&#x27;s future path besides that both languages are heavily used at apple.<p>The key difference may be that Chris Lattner is basically a compiler superstar, and I think he could make it happen if he chose to.