Was Rust In The Linux Kernel A Mistake? #Linux #YouTube https://youtu.be/-w4H2-LLVdY
@BrodieOnLinux rust can clearly bring a lot of value to the kernel in terms of improved robustness, and if the linux kernel community is unwilling to accept new tools to improve robustness, then linux will be replaced with a kernel that will
@ariadne I agree with the first part for sure but I'm curious to see if companies will actually rally behind another product
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@ariadne @BrodieOnLinux I'm sorry. That's just not going to happen. Linux isn't going anywhere any time soon. It's in literally everything at this point and is backed by major corporations because it's a linchpin in their business.
I honestly sometimes feel like the Rust community is a cult. Your statement sounds almost threatening. It amounts to "use Rust or else". Rust is a great language, but it doesn't belong everywhere.
@dusnm @BrodieOnLinux it is just reality. in the 90s, everyone said 386BSD was going to be the next big thing and then BSDi bought 1-800-ITS-UNIX.
nothing about my statement says “use rust or else” also. i said that if the attitude of the Linux community (of which i am a contributing member) is to eschew innovation which will help to make Linux a more reliable kernel, then those focused on advancing software reliability will move onto other projects. this naturally includes competition with Linux.
you likely interact with thousands of lines of C i have written on a daily basis. if i were to write that code today maybe i would use Rust, but it’s about engineering, not ideology.
@dusnm @BrodieOnLinux like there are already operating systems that compete with Linux solely on the basis of improved reliability. genode and fuschia are real world examples that are deployed in production today. there is also GNU Hurd, and software reliability is one of the main reasons why people are still hacking on it.
we should honestly be ditching the Unix model anyway and treat the Unix system programming interfaces as legacy to be replaced with interfaces built around object capabilities (like fuschia has done at scale, and the Hurd as well).
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@ah @dusnm @BrodieOnLinux if it were about license, FreeBSD is literally right there. not to mention that fuschia and genode are both non-copyleft.
@ariadne @BrodieOnLinux I mean, from what I can tell, Linux will get and use Rust for these reasons. It will just need a lot of kicking painful assholes out and burning out a lot of good people before doing so.
But the feeling I get from a lot of "people with effective power in the community" is "Rust is already there"
