this post was submitted on 20 Jan 2025
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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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More Rust Code Is Coming For Linux 6.14 Along With Hitting Another "Major Milestone" (www.phoronix.com)
submitted 1 day ago by petsoi@discuss.tchncs.de to c/linux@lemmy.ml
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[–] fluxx1@lemm.ee 4 points 12 hours ago

As a rust developer, I'm biased, but I think it might be a great thing, if done properly. I've also done some kernel dev a while back and it's full of kernel-specific macros and conventions and boilerplate code. It would at least improve readability and reduce some boilerplate as well as improve on some common security bugs. But seeing as how different C is in kernel context to regular application, this may be the same for Rust, in which case I hope the devs know what they're doing, because it can easily get out of hand.

[–] thingsiplay@beehaw.org 55 points 1 day ago (2 children)

The older the Kernel gets, the more Rust it will get.

[–] Amaterasu@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I can't have an impression good or bad about this news. I'm not sure if Rust is an interesting thing. I saw people saying good things about it and other talking hellish about the number of dependencies.

I don't program for a long time. Used to like coding in C quite a lot.

[–] Flipper@feddit.org 4 points 13 hours ago

Rust libs for use in the kernel need an extra approval. But it turns out, whenever it's easier to just include a dependency doing what you need, instead of writing a bad version of it yourself, most people take a dependency.

[–] john89@lemmy.ca 3 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Hey man, if you want to understand something you have to see it for yourself.

Don't just look at online forums and try to discern what's factual. You need your own experience.

[–] Amaterasu@lemmy.world 3 points 14 hours ago

Agree. I was just pointing that since I'm out of the scene I can't have an opinion.

[–] blackberry@midwest.social 10 points 1 day ago (3 children)

noob here, does this mean rust will come included on Linux, similar to python?

[–] patatahooligan@lemmy.world 1 points 13 hours ago

The other commenter already answers your quest, but I will just point out that python doesn't come included "on Linux". It just happens to be a dependency of so much stuff that some other packages is going to pull it in. A minimal distro which doesn't include programs written in python will probably not have python installed at all.

[–] jokro@feddit.org 25 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

No. It's only about the kernel itself, not Linux Systems(aka Distributions).

Earlier the kernel did only consist of C code, but for some time now the option to develop parts of the kernel in Rust is being worked on. In the end it both compiles to native machine code. The running kernel does not require the Rust toolchain to be present.

[–] Ephera@lemmy.ml 12 points 1 day ago

Yeah, Python requires a "runtime" program, which interprets the Python code and then translates it into native machine code to actually execute it. Because Rust is compiled directly to native machine code by the developer, you don't need a runtime program on your PC to run Rust programs.

This is also one of the biggest reasons why Rust can be used for kernel development. You cannot rely on a runtime program for developing a kernel, since launching a program requires a kernel to already be up and running.

[–] thingsiplay@beehaw.org 3 points 1 day ago

This only means programmers of Linux itself can use Rust to program the Kernel. In example if Rust programmers are good at it, they can use the language over something they are not good at it like C in example. You as the end user does not see any direct difference. Like with any other application if its written in Rust or in C, it does not matter much if you use the binary executable.

[–] refalo@programming.dev 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

What OSes do not have any Rust code?

[–] PushButton@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Bsd

[–] MITM0@lemmy.world 1 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah wait a while, it'll get there too

[–] PushButton@lemmy.world 1 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago)

Tell the guy who is using it, not me...

[–] IrritableOcelot@beehaw.org 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

This thumbnail hurts to look at.

[–] milicent_bystandr@lemm.ee 2 points 14 hours ago

Do you think the AI was just fed the title to make an image, and successfully combined "rust" and "os"?

[–] PushButton@lemmy.world 0 points 1 day ago

Handyman has the solution - literally!