Linux

47976 readers

1040 users here now

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

Rules

Posts must be relevant to operating systems running the Linux kernel. GNU/Linux or otherwise.
No misinformation
No NSFW content
No hate speech, bigotry, etc

Related Communities

Community icon by Alpár-Etele Méder, licensed under CC BY 3.0

founded 5 years ago

MODERATORS

[email protected]

434

Rust in Linux lead retires rather than deal with more “nontechnical nonsense” (arstechnica.com)

submitted 2 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

215 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Linux people doing Linux things, it seems.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] [email protected] 63 points 2 months ago (41 children)

Here's what I think. Both opinions are correct.

Rust is sufficiently different that you cannot expect C developers to learn rust to the level they have mastered C in order to be working at the kernel level. It's not going to happen.

I don't really know too much about rust. Maybe one day I'll actually mess around with it. But the one time I looked at a rust git repo I couldn't even find where the code to do a thing was. It's just different enough to be problematic that way.

So I think probably, the best way IS to go the way linus did. Just go ahead and write a very basic working kernel in rust. If the project is popular it will gain momentum.

Trying to slowly adapt parts of the kernel to rust and then complain when long term C developers don't want to learn a new language in order to help isn't going to make many friends on that team.

[–] [email protected] 63 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (11 children)

But that's the thing where you are wrong. They clearly state they don't want C developers to learn Rust. In the particular video posted he was saying "I want you to explain to me how this particular API works so that I can do it"

The concerns about who fixes what on a merge when the C code breaks Rust code are valid, but that's easily fixed by gathering with the Rust developers, explaining the changes and letting them fix it.

load more comments (9 replies)

load more comments (38 replies)