this post was submitted on 08 Sep 2024
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Linux

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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.

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The KDE community has charted its course for the coming years, focusing on three interconnected paths that converge on a single point: community. These paths aim to improve user experience, support developers, and foster community growth.

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 months ago (3 children)
[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

The success of KDE depends on maintaining and attracting new developers. C++ is decreasing in popularity, with less people becoming willimg to learn it overtime. Adding more modern languages to the mix that are more pleasant to write with will help keep KDE popular with devs.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago

I think using 1 language is better than a bunch of different modern languages

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Personally, I have little interest in learning or dealing with C++ solely for the sake of developing KDE applications. I would much rather use Rust.

Imo, restricting the languages that can be used for app development cuts out large swaths of developers who would otherwise be eager to develop software for the project. I'm sure there are some who wouldn't mind picking up C++ for this cause, but I'd wager that they are a minority. Gnome beats out KDE in that regard, imo, as GTK has bindings and documentation for many languages.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I thought Rust already had several different methods for interacting with C++? I'm not sure what actual roadblocks there are to developing KDE apps with it?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I thought Rust already had several different methods for interacting with C++?

Oh? Would you mind sharing them? It would be absolutely fantastic if such a thing existed and is mature enough to be practically used.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

FFI, bindgen/cbindgen, cxx/autocxx, zngr, cpp crate, diplomat, crubit

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

Dang, that's pretty neat! Man, there's probably going to be some funky bugs with legacy code getting included into Rust.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

One of the reasons surely is that it's getting banned from government software 😅

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 months ago

So blown out of proportion. Nobody is saying to stop using them. The report is more of a state of the union on software in secure systems and the talking points hinge on the most common type of vulnerability seen in large scale attacks: memory safety.

The report (which apparently barely anyone is reading) mentions C/C++ aren’t memory safe (truth) and with specific respect to space flight, alternatives such as Rust haven’t been proven yet. Both languages meet other important criteria (again specific to space flight) but it then immediately states afterwards that until other languages can be qualified, other means of ensuring memory safety are recommended such as hardware. The report makes other mentions. It’s a good read but is not a directive like media is making it.