Last time I wrote, I talked about pausing my blockchain endeavours and exploring new things. I started thinking about more Rust-specific projects and maybe starting a new open-source project. I started Polkabind: an open-source project that aims to bring the Polkadot SDK to Swift and Kotlin using Mozilla’s UniFFI.

I managed to get the PoC of Polkabind working in about a month, after which something happened: one of those moments where you accidentally discover a totally new and exciting route for your life. Working with Swift code for Polkabind brought back real nostalgia for the Apple ecosystem and iOS native development with Swift. I couldn’t resist the temptation; it was time to get back to iOS development.

The thing is, I really love the Rust programming language, especially after three years working exclusively with it on Web3 stuff. Moreover, I’m really into Emacs – Doom Emacs, to be precise; it’s the tool I use exclusively for all my development projects. So the question came naturally: was I prepared to leave my home (Emacs) and the tools I love using (Rust) for something totally different (Swift/iOS with Xcode)?

Life is boring without interesting and enlightening challenges. So I’m going to start a new challenge: building an iOS app, in SwiftUI and Rust, with Emacs! Yes, Emacs! Well, almost, because I know that I’ll need to fire up Xcode for many tasks that are likely impossible to do elsewhere, but still, I want to build the maximum of the app using Emacs!

I’ll document my process, the challenges I face and the techniques I discover; and I hope that SendTunnel will prove it’s possible.

’Til next time.