Rust For The Linux Kernel Updated, Uutils As Rust Version Of Coreutils Updated Too

[CommunityMember]

As of now Uutils/rust only supports ARM and x86, so its only logical that rust has to be optional. What are the most important architectures one has to support these days? I would guess mips, risc-v, powerpc, anything else?

Rust supports targets that include x86, arm, mips, risc-v, powerpc, sparc, s390. It does not support some of the less common architectures that the Linux kernel supports at this time, but the upcoming gcc backend for the alternative rust implementation should support additional targets. However, the reality is that no one expects that rust is going to take over the parts of the core linux kernel, so the target list only matters if the parts of the kernel that someone wishes to use rust for would target those less common architectures (a driver that only works for x86 hardware only has to support the x86 target).

[Quackdoc]

been using uutils on windows when I need to use it, works nice, pleasantly surprised.

[ClosedSource]

I don't see investing in Rust in the Linux kernel as being a good idea. The reference compiler is still very young.

[NobodyXu]

As of now Uutils/rust only supports ARM and x86, so its only logical that rust has to be optional. What are the most important architectures one has to support these days? I would guess mips, risc-v, powerpc, anything else? Is this list still up to date?

Having never used BSD, that sounds like a hateboy thing to say. After all it is the second most used embedded OS behind Linux. Why would anyone use it if it sucks and is a nightmare in usability?

Rust has support for mips, powerpc, riscv, s390 as tier 2, it also supports other archs via tier 3.

https://doc.rust-lang.org/rustc/platform-support.html

[bachchain]

The reference compiler is still very young.

And? Is there a certain age that software has to reach before it becomes suitable for a given task? If so, what is that age? Rustc has already been around for about twelve years at this point, 22 if you count the LLVM parts.

[jacob]

Rust has support for mips, powerpc, riscv, s390 as tier 2, it also supports other archs via tier 3.

https://doc.rust-lang.org/rustc/platform-support.html

I would argue that for a kernel, tier2 is not good enough. On the other hand, how many people really use Linux on MIPS or S390 in prod? And if someone does, how long before they migrate? PowerPC is different, there is quite a lot of it in embedded systems.

[NobodyXu]

I would argue that for a kernel, tier2 is not good enough. On the other hand, how many people really use Linux on MIPS or S390 in prod? And if someone does, how long before they migrate? PowerPC is different, there is quite a lot of it in embedded systems.

I agree, but with experimental Rust being merged into the linux kernel, they will be improved.

Along with the rustc_codegen_gcc and gcc-rs, the situation for Rust on these platforms will become much better than now.

[darkonix]

I don't see investing in Rust in the Linux kernel as being a good idea. The reference compiler is still very young.

Some guy called Linus Torvalds seems to disagree with you ;-)

[DMJC]

Security is king and Rust is going to sweep the ICT world. It's pretty obvious that at some point TCP/IP stacks and Firewalls are going to be re-implemented in Rust. Same with anything else that's getting hacked at the moment. Yes it'll take years, yes it'll cost billions but it's coming. there are 2.2 million Rust users up 4x on what there were 2 years ago. There was a Rust re-implementation of OpenSSL, it was faster, more secure, and used less memory, the benefits are obvious for anyone that's been terrified of the years of accumulated C/C++ garbage in the software stack..

[Anux]

Rust has support for mips, powerpc, riscv, s390 as tier 2, it also supports other archs via tier 3.

Tier 2 means "compiles but may not pass all tests" and tier 3 means "may not even compile". So I would argue that anything but tier 1 is not what you want in a kernel.

On the other hand, how many people really use Linux on MIPS or S390 in prod?

Atleast a few years ago MIPS was used in small routers.