iii. About the Cover

The polar bear, although majestic on land, is also a passionate creature of the sea; its scientific name, Ursus maritimus, means “sea bear”! Most polar bears spend the majority of their lives on the edge of sea ice, waiting for a seal to swim by and make a tasty lunch for the polar bear; for this reason, they are considered a marine mammal, in the same vein as sea otters, manatees, and whales.

The sight of a polar bear cub instantly evokes that cute squeee feeling in all of us, but make no mistake — these cuddly little cubs will soon grow into stealthy, patient, and powerful adult hunters. The Combine framework, as well, is still in its infancy, and even though there are other powerful competing frameworks like RxSwift, we think that as Combine grows up, it will soon turn out to be as powerful, efficient and stealthy as a polar bear — just not quite as cute!