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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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One Of The Rust Linux Kernel Maintainers Steps Down - Cites "Nontechnical Nonsense" (www.phoronix.com)

submitted 2 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Wedson Almeida Filho is a Microsoft engineer who has been prolific in his contributions to the Rust for the Linux kernel code over the past several years. Wedson has worked on many Rust Linux kernel features and even did a experimental EXT2 file-system driver port to Rust. But he's had enough and is now stepping away from the Rust for Linux efforts.

From Wedon's post on the kernel mailing list:

I am retiring from the project. After almost 4 years, I find myself lacking the energy and enthusiasm I once had to respond to some of the nontechnical nonsense, so it's best to leave it up to those who still have it in them.

...

I truly believe the future of kernels is with memory-safe languages. I am no visionary but if Linux doesn't internalize this, I'm afraid some other kernel will do to it what it did to Unix.

Lastly, I'll leave a small, 3min 30s, sample for context here: https://youtu.be/WiPp9YEBV0Q?t=1529 -- and to reiterate, no one is trying force anyone else to learn Rust nor prevent refactorings of C code."

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[+] slowcakes -15 points 2 months ago (27 children)

People are dumb as hell, it's fucking open source, go maintain the c fork, and let the those who want to improve the fucking shit cve producing codebase make a rust fork. And see which one people will use, and we all know that the rust fork will have wider adoption, it's a no brainer.

No one is forcing them to maintain the Linux kernel, no one is telling them to stop writing patches, they can't because you can download the code and work on it as you like.

It's people who know they will be irrelevant because they spent decades producing shit software, and they can't even be bothered to learn a new language to improve stability and security for the whole fucking userbase. Give me a break, what a bunch of whiners.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (21 children)

This is such a dumb take. For as much as I'd like to have a safer language in the kernel you need the current developers, the "big heads" at least because they have a lot of niche knowledge about their domains and how they implementation works (regardless of language) People shouldn't take shit like this from the ext4 developer, but it doesn't mean we should start vilifying all of them.

This guy's concerns are real and valid but were expressed with the maturity of a lunatic child, but they are not all like this.

[+] slowcakes -7 points 2 months ago (18 children)

Yes and the big heads in this case don't want to share that knowledge, because why? Because they are treating the kernel like their pet project that they own and control, and they don't wanna lose that control, rather looking at the bigger picture.

It's kinda obvious that rust is the way forward as google has clearly shown, so why are they gatekeeping?

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

Yes I agree but the solution for a project so big and critical is not to fork. How do you maintain all of it while at the same time adding support to Rust?

[–] slowcakes -4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

There's no solution, they need not only to accept that rust is going to be part of the kernel but also that it's a good thing. Otherwise how do you cooperate efficiently.

And also if they are so big brained, should be easy to learn rust then, I mean I'm pretty small brained and I know rust.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 months ago (2 children)

"There's no compromise, I'M RIGHT AND YOU'RE WRONG!"

no wonder everyone hates rustphiles

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

Can we have a vegan rust sub, please?

[–] slowcakes 0 points 2 months ago (1 children)

What compromise? Half code should be in rust?

What does this even have to do with rust developers, The language rust gives us the ability to have more compile time checks, and why is that a bad thing. Do you like security issues in your OS because some dev forgot to handle pointers correctly?

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

The only compromise Rust programmers would accept is C programmers learn Rust so when they break Rust code they can fix it.

[–] slowcakes 0 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Dude what are you on about, there is no rust programmer that want to teach fucking rust to anyone who doesn't want learn...

This has nothing to do with C vs Rust, this has to do with security and enabling more people to develop stuff for Linux.

These so called kernel maintainers you see in the conference are only mainting the parts that they use for their filesystem, they are mainting the API, they are paid by companies who have sold support for ext4, xfs or brtfs etc.. . Of course they don't want to make their jobs any harder by learning a new language.

And of course they obfuscate the API with random naming and undocumented usage, because they want to make it hard for anyone else using trying to use the APIs.

If they don't want to be part of the improvement, then go do something else. Yes rust is better than C for this, because guess what - there are still CVEs being made, because it's impossible to catch everything with you eyes.