Google To Allow Rust Code In The Chromium Browser

[CommunityMember]

Will that actually speed up development?

Short term, it probably won't change much (just like adding Rust to the Linux Kernel is not going to suddenly change development speeds).

However, remember that "The Chromium project finds that around 70% of our serious security bugs are memory safety problems" and every security bug you don't have to handle improves resource reallocation that impact regular development (while some people live for the adrenalin high of an all hands on deck dumpster fire, that tends to be a higher institutional cost if it is happening all the time).

And just as for Linux Kernel development, it may reduce the costs (and therefore long term development resource requirements) of reviewing certain code, since the memory safety can be (more reasonably) assured.

Rust, in the Linux Kernel, and Chromium, is still a work in progress. I look forward to where we might go.

[caligula]

And just as for Linux Kernel development, it may reduce the costs of reviewing certain code

Not only the cost of development. People are f*cking tired of tolerating shitty systems that crash all the time, leak personal data, and can be hijacked by script kiddies. C and C++ were generously given time to improve, but basically nothing happened. Now it's time to switch to a better language.

[user1]

From a privacy standpoint, one line of code is all it takes to backdoor any codebase. So, given Chromium's 35million LoC, even just 0.000003% is too much.

Even if it's just HTML code that is only used to build Vivaldi's ui features?
As I said, even though Vivaldi's HTML code is proprietary, it's accessible for anyone to read.

From a practical FOSS standpoint, if I can't fork it and I can help it by using other code bases, I don't want to depend on it in my products.

This is exactly the reason they don't open source it. They are a small company thay develops the entire browser with its unique ui features. If they'll open source it, people will start forking it and it will potentially kill them as a company.

[lowflyer]

So, after the Linux kernel, Chromium will now start to rust as well. It likely doesn't matter whether it is chromium-vanadium or chromium-nickel steel.

[Lycanthropist]

C and C++ were generously given time to improve, but basically nothing happened.

With containers and smart pointers, modern C++ can be just as memory safe as Rust. All memory related proplem stem from interfacing with older code. Rust has the same problem when having to interface with a C library.

[jacob]

Even if it's just HTML code that is only used to build Vivaldi's ui features?
As I said, even though Vivaldi's HTML code is proprietary, it's accessible for anyone to read.



This is exactly the reason they don't open source it. They are a small company thay develops the entire browser with its unique ui features. If they'll open source it, people will start forking it and it will potentially kill them as a company.

And how is that a reason to accept non_free software, especially a browser of all things?

[curfew]

In fact, it's just a few bits and bytes removed from spyware, so not so far at all.

...and the rest of the bits can be turned off in the browser's settings.

[jacob]

With containers and smart pointers, modern C++ can be just as memory safe as Rust. All memory related proplem stem from interfacing with older code. Rust has the same problem when having to interface with a C library.

This tired myth must die already. No, modern C++ is nowhere as memory safe as Rust, in fact it can't be considered memory safe at all although it's somewhat safer than old C++ (but not really by all that much).

[TemplarGR]

It is time to let c++ die. C has its place, and will always have it. But c++, what a shit-show.... It should have died ages ago.... It was just a hack from the get go and has only survived because of existing codebases and the cost of moving them to something better.

[user1]

And how is that a reason to accept non_free software, especially a browser of all things?

Not everyone is a free software zealot that avoids non free software like a plague..
I generally prefer to use open source software as much as I can, but if there's a non free software that I really like (and trurst), I have no problem using it.

But just to be clear, I persobally use Firefox because I prefer it to any Chromium based browser for various reasons. But if it didn't exist for example, I would've probably used Vivaldi (which despite not being open source is actually a privacy oriented browser).