Mastering Swift 2 Programming (Video 36)

This video tutorial introduces Grand Central Dispatch (GCD) and compares it with NSOperation Q. It explains the efficiency of GCD as a low-level API integrated into the Apple operating system, highlighting its minimal code requirements and automatic management of serial queues. The tutorial discusses why some developers prefer GCD over NSOperation Q, despite the latter's high-level abstraction and features. The video demonstrates replacing NSOperation Q with GCD in a code example, focusing on using dispatch async for task management. Finally, it tests the implementation to ensure UI responsiveness.

What is one reason developers might choose Grand Central Dispatch over NSOperationQueue?

• GCD is more efficient and requires less code.

• GCD allows for more complex task management.

• NSOperationQueue is not supported on all Apple devices.

• NSOperationQueue cannot handle background tasks.

How does Grand Central Dispatch manage tasks to prevent unintended cross-thread data mutation?

• By using a single main queue.

• By locking all threads.

• By using serial queues.

• By using parallel queues.

What is the primary function of the dispatch_async call in GCD?

• To allocate and deallocate memory.

• To perform tasks in the background.

• To specify tasks to be performed as blocks.

• To manage user interface updates.

When replacing NSOperationQueue with GCD, which function is used to ensure tasks are performed on the main queue?

• dispatch_queue_create

• dispatch_get_main_queue

• dispatch_async_main

• dispatch_get_global_queue

What is the purpose of using dispatch_get_global_queue in GCD?

• To perform tasks on the main thread.

• To perform tasks in the background.

• To create a new serial queue.

• To lock and unlock threads.