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Hard Rust requirements from May onward

lists.debian.org

21–30 of 797 posts

Re: Hard Rust requirements from May onward

#21

One of the follow up messages is interesting: https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2025/10/msg00288.html > Rust is already a hard requirement on all Debian release architectures and ports except for alpha, hppa, m68k, and sh4 (which do not provide sqv). Wonder what this means for those architectures then?

> Wonder what this means for those architectures then?

They will be rebranded as "retro computing devices"

Re: Hard Rust requirements from May onward

#23
post #8

> It's important for the project as whole to be able to > move forward and rely on modern tools and technologies > and not be held back by trying to shoehorn modern software > on retro computing devices. Rust is the present and the future and it's quite logical that it becomes a key requirement in Linux distributions, but I'm really not convinced by the wording here… This last sentence feels needlessly antagonistic.

I suspect if this mailing list post doesn't go too under the radar, that last sentence will be a source of major regret.

And if it is it absolutely is indicative of their opinion and absolutely deserved.

Re: Hard Rust requirements from May onward

#24
post #10

The language is tough love, and I think it's important despite what the first respondent has said. Much of the language used seems to stem from nauseating interactions that have occured in kernel world around rust usage. I'm not a big fan of rust for reasons that were not brought up during the kernel discussions, but I'm also not an opponent of moving forward. I don't quite understand the pushback against memory safe…

I haven't either, until I read comments on Rust in Linux on social media outside HN. Apparently, Rust is part of the "woke agenda"

Yep, I noticed that under a lot of videos mentioning rust in kernel, or rust in general there's a high chance that the comment section will just be straight up lifted from 4chan pol or a similar place

Re: Hard Rust requirements from May onward

#25
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The person making the post is getting paid by Ubuntu.

Needs a perhaps with question mark or some proof.

You could just read his signiture in the mailing list.

https://mastodon.social/@juliank

>Senior Engineer at Canonical.

Re: Hard Rust requirements from May onward

#26
post #11
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the spin that Rust is necessarily the way forward is what is wrong. IMHO Rust has severe problems and what is considered "modern" is mostly taste. We have seen the same thing in the past with a push towards C++, Java, managed languages. What is new is that the free software movement is now controlled so much by corporate interests that some of these changes are pushed through aggressively against the interest…

> IMHO Rust has severe problems and what is considered "modern" is mostly taste. Really? As opposed to e.g. C or C++ (as the most important languages which Rust is competing with)? Sure, taste plays into everything, but I think a lot of people work with Rust since it's genuinely a better tool. I hear you on free software being controlled by corporate interests, but that's imo a separate discussion from how good Rust…

Ada and SPARK fulfilled the promise of a safe systems language decades ago without making most of the mistakes Rust does. Rust has its strong sides, sure, but it's far from the only shop in town. The GCC happens to include an Ada compiler as well.

Re: Hard Rust requirements from May onward

#27
post #16
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> IMHO Rust has severe problems and what is considered "modern" is mostly taste. Really? As opposed to e.g. C or C++ (as the most important languages which Rust is competing with)? Sure, taste plays into everything, but I think a lot of people work with Rust since it's genuinely a better tool. I hear you on free software being controlled by corporate interests, but that's imo a separate discussion from how good Rust…

I'm very happy with common lisp for fast code. Of course most people aren't smart enough for the language so they have to use inferior algol languages like rust.

No need to sully CL with this kind of elitism. Any language you need to be a genius to use is a bad language. That's one of the fundamental issues with C. We're all imperfect idiots some of the time and one instance of undefined behavior breaks any guarantees the language gives you.

Re: Hard Rust requirements from May onward

#28
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> IMHO Rust has severe problems and what is considered "modern" is mostly taste. Really? As opposed to e.g. C or C++ (as the most important languages which Rust is competing with)? Sure, taste plays into everything, but I think a lot of people work with Rust since it's genuinely a better tool. I hear you on free software being controlled by corporate interests, but that's imo a separate discussion from how good Rust…

Ada and SPARK fulfilled the promise of a safe systems language decades ago without making most of the mistakes Rust does. Rust has its strong sides, sure, but it's far from the only shop in town. The GCC happens to include an Ada compiler as well.

And just recently Modula-2.

Re: Hard Rust requirements from May onward

#29
post #13

I don't get the need for Rust since I happily compile common lisp to machine code when I need fast binaries. But the people who use the language have an amazing talent to make people on the fence hate them within half a dozen sentences. They remind me of Christian missionaries trying to convert the savages from their barbarous religions with human sacrifice to the civilised religion with burning heretics.

Many programmers feel the same way about Lispers. It's best to set aside your gut feelings about the community and think primarily about the technical and organizational merits and disadvantages of the technology.

Re: Hard Rust requirements from May onward

#30
post #11
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the spin that Rust is necessarily the way forward is what is wrong. IMHO Rust has severe problems and what is considered "modern" is mostly taste. We have seen the same thing in the past with a push towards C++, Java, managed languages. What is new is that the free software movement is now controlled so much by corporate interests that some of these changes are pushed through aggressively against the interest…

> IMHO Rust has severe problems and what is considered "modern" is mostly taste. Really? As opposed to e.g. C or C++ (as the most important languages which Rust is competing with)? Sure, taste plays into everything, but I think a lot of people work with Rust since it's genuinely a better tool. I hear you on free software being controlled by corporate interests, but that's imo a separate discussion from how good Rust…

That is a 'subtle whataboutism' reply, actually...

you see, GP did not speak in relative terms, but absolutely: They believe Rust has problems. They did not suggest that problems with programming languages are basically all fungible, that we should sum up all problems, compare different languages, and see which ones come out on top.

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