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Linus Torvalds: Speaks on the Rust vs C Linux Divide
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this post was submitted on 18 Sep 2024
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I took notes for the benefit of anyone who doesn't like their info in video form. My attempt to summarize what Linus says:
He enjoys the arguments, it's nice that Rust has livened up the discussion. It shows that people care.
It's more contentious than it should be sometimes with religious overtones reminiscent of vi versus emacs. Some like it, some don't, and that's okay.
Too early to see if Rust in the kernel ultimately fails or succeeds, that will take time, but he's optimistic about it.
The kernel is not normal C. They use tools that enforce rules that are not part of the language, including memory safety infrastructure. This has been incrementally added over a long time, which is what allowed people to do it without the kind of outcry that the Rust efforts produce by trying to change things more quickly.
There aren't many languages that can deal with system issues, so unless you want to use assembler it's going to be C, C-like, or Rust. So probably there will be some systems other than Linux that do use Rust.
If you make your own he's looking forward to seeing it.
Good human.
I love you.
Thank you for the write-up!!
You write "vi versus the world" funny.
it's a polite way of saying, "intelligence vs emacs"
I use Micro except for when I forget to install it and can't, at which point I use Nano
Isn't there Redox OS?
Edit: yes, it's still alive and kicking.
I think Linus mentioned Redox directly during the interview
Doing the lord's work, thank you.
This is a great summary. Thanks!
On a tangential note, what does Linus used, Vi or Emacs?
He uses a version of Emacs called MicroEmacs.
I recall seeing his MicroEmacs configuration a while back when I was exploring options to start using Emacs.
TIL that version appears to be on the AUR: MicroEMACS/PK 4.0.15 customized by Linus Torvalds.
Last updated in 2014, it probably has serious cobwebs now. Even the upstream hasn't been touched in 6 years.
In testing, to settle a bet by a rabid cult-of-vi peer, I opened a given set of files in each editor, each a day apart because I couldn't be arsed to clear caches. This guy, otherwise a prince, was railing about emacs, but otherwise suffered days of waiting.
10/10 the memory usage by his precious vi was same-or-more than emacs.
There's so many shared libs pulled in by the shell that all the fuddy doomsaying about bloat is now just noise.
I avoid vi because even in 1992 it was crusty and wrong-headed. 30 years on the hard-headed cult and the app haven't changed.
I don't see how microEmacs can improve on what we have by default, and I worry that the more niche the product is the harder it will be to find answers online. But I'm willing to be swayed if anyone can pitch its virtues.
MicroEmacs was written in 1985 and has nothing to do with GNU Emacs (which people just call Emacs these days). It’s entirely outside of the vi-vs-emacs war.
Yeah the interface for it - and functionality - is more like nano than actual Emacs.
If we can believe random strangers in the internet, then Linus uses a self maintained lighter version of Emacs, or has. Looks like Linus is an Emacs guy.
my money is on vi or vi derivates.
As always, Ada gets no respect.
Nor does Forth (which used to be a common choice for "first thing to bootstrap on this new chip architecture we have no real OS for yet"). Alas, they're just not popular languages these days.
Have you actually ever used Ada? It's like programming with handcuffs on.
Start the linuxa or alinux project and off you trot. Find a better name than I did here and you'll be fine.
Adux
Ladux? Linda? +Linux, pronounced "Add a Linux" -> Ada Linux? LinLace?
Lada
I prefer Trabant.
Images of smoking Eastern European jalopy intensifies.
Anixa for the win
I blame Ian Dury.
Possibly NSFW.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kFnHPHBcb4
There's one called Redox that is entirely written in Rust. Still in fairly early stages, though. https://www.redox-os.org/
Thank you for the summary!
Not a programmer whatsoever but I've heard about Zig and people comparing it to Rust, what's the deal with it?
Zig is indeed designed specifically for such tasks as system programming and interoperability with C code. However it is not yet ready for production usage as necessary infrastructure is not yet done and each new version introduces breaking changes. Developers recomend waiting version 1.0 before using it in any serious project.
Zig is "c", but modern and safe.
The big selling points compared to Rust are:
The syntax is really close to the C language; any C programmer can pick up Zig really fast.
IMO Zig is a far better choice to go in the kernel than Rust.
Linux has tried to include CPP in it, and it failed.
So imagine if trying to fit in a C-like cousin failed, how far they are to fit an alien language like Rust...
For more information: https://ziglang.org/learn/why_zig_rust_d_cpp/
Zig is a very new and immature language. It won't be kernel-ready for at l'East another 10 years.
That's pretty suggestive. Rust syntax is pretty good. Postfix
tryis just better for example.Zig also uses special syntax for things like error and nullability instead of having them just be enums, making the language more complex and less flexible for no benefit.
Syntax is also not everything. Rust has extremely good error messages. Going through Zig's learning documentation, half the error messages are unreadable because I have to scroll to see the actual error and data because it's on the same line as the absolute path as the file were the error comes from
That's a library design question, not a language question. Rust for Linux uses its own data collections that don't perform hidden memory allocations instead of the ones from the standard library.
I don't know, Rust is one of the most readablelangueage for me.
Is it still the case once you have a very large project and make use of comptime?
Not true. Because it doesn't have the guardrails that rust has, you must build a mental model of where the guardrails should be so you don't make mistakes. Arguably this is something that C maintainers already know how to do, but it's also not something they do flawlessly from just looking at the bugs that regularly need to be fixed.
Being able to write code faster does not equate being able to write correct code faster.
Yes, because it's basically C with some syntax sugar. Rust is a Generational change.
Zig is safer than C, but not on a level that is comparable to Rust, so it lacks its biggest selling point. Unfortunately just being a more modern language is not enough to sell it.
C++ was not added to Linux because Linus Torvalds thought it was an horrible language, not because it was not possible to integrate in the kernel.
Zig has other selling points, that are arguably more suitable for system programming. Rust's obsession with safety (which is still not absolute even in rust) is not the only thing to consider.
It is absolue in safe Rust, aka 99% of Rust code.
UB is only one class of error though. I get nervous when people talk about re-writing battle hardened code which has been used - and reviewed by the community - for decades because there are going to be many subtleties and edge cases which are not immediately apparent for any developer attempting a re-implementation.
You mean old code that has bugs that are no just being discovered. Battle hardened code and many eyeballs means nothing.
Like sudo that has had zero days lurking for 10 years?
I'm not advocating for reimplementing stuff for no good reason though.
But that wasn't about the syntax, but about the fastnesses, size and control, want it? Things that shouldn't be much of an issue to Rust.
Zig is feasible for systems programming and some, (most notably, the Primeagen in one video) claim it should have gone into the kernel instead of Rust, but I don't know Zig so I don't feel qualified to comment beyond that.
Good bot!
How is it that no matter what the damn topic is, Linus always seems to be the most level-headed in the room? I really admire him for that...
Edit: Lol, Linus, not Linux. Linus. xD
Linus did have emotion control issues and was not always completely rational, but he's gone a long way towards being incredibly responsible to his child that powers the world.
Also, he long understands that Linux ain't a hobby project, which some programmers still get to think.