Zack's Kernel News
Zack's Kernel News

In kernel news: Rust in Linux; and Compiler and Kernel Frenemies.
Rust in Linux
A fascinating aspect of Linux kernel development has been the attempts to switch away from C and assembly language to something else like C++. Linus Torvalds is notorious for caring a lot about the beauty of the kernel code as well as important features such as CPU and RAM usage and security. For him to accept any other language, it would have to be a pretty amazing language. For comparison, the developers tried adding C++ support to the kernel in the late 1990s, but it didn't pass muster.
The Rust programming language is the first serious attempt by kernel developers to add support to the kernel since then. Linus allowed a rudimentary first attempt to go into kernel version 6.1 in late 2022. Since then, many more Rust patches have been submitted. Unlike the case with C++, Rust doesn't seem to be leaving any time soon. Instead, it seems as though Linus is fairly committed to giving it a real try.
It's a surprising decision because Rust is so new. Rust was invented in 2006 while C++ was invented in 1979. Even today, Rust has hardly taken over the world. And yet it has been given this amazing pride of place in the Linux kernel. I'm not denigrating! It's fascinating to consider Rust's characteristics that would place it even above C++ as being welcome into the kernel development process. However, it's not at all surprising that Linus would evaluate a new language based on its merits rather than its popularity.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you've found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Zorin OS 17 Beta Available for Testing
The upcoming version of Zorin OS includes plenty of improvements to take your PC to a whole new level of user-friendliness.
-
Red Hat Migrates RHEL from Xorg to Wayland
If you've been wondering when Xorg will finally be a thing of the past, wonder no more, as Red Hat has made it clear.
-
PipeWire 1.0 Officially Released
PipeWire was created to take the place of the oft-troubled PulseAudio and has finally reached the 1.0 status as a major update with plenty of improvements and the usual bug fixes.
-
Rocky Linux 9.3 Available for Download
The latest version of the RHEL alternative is now available and brings back cloud and container images for ppc64le along with plenty of new features and fixes.
-
Ubuntu Budgie Shifts How to Tackle Wayland
Ubuntu Budgie has yet to make the switch to Wayland but with a change in approaches, they're finally on track to making it happen.
-
TUXEDO's New Ultraportable Linux Workstation Released
The TUXEDO Pulse 14 blends portability with power, thanks to the AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS CPU.
-
AlmaLinux Will No Longer Be "Just Another RHEL Clone"
With the release of AlmaLinux 9.3, the distribution will be built entirely from upstream sources.
-
elementary OS 8 Has a Big Surprise in Store
When elementary OS 8 finally arrives, it will not only be based on Ubuntu 24.04 but it will also default to Wayland for better performance and security.
-
OpenELA Releases Enterprise Linux Source Code
With Red Hat restricting the source for RHEL, it was only a matter of time before those who depended on that source struck out on their own.
-
StripedFly Malware Hiding in Plain Sight as a Cryptocurrency Miner
A rather deceptive piece of malware has infected 1 million Windows and Linux hosts since 2017.