On 3/15/2024 11:10 PM, Saurav Pal wrote:
All in all, I am *against* Rust being introduced in the kernel. However, I am fine with the language being in the very leaf nodes. Like some drivers, userspace applications, or userspace filesystems (FUSE)... especially those that only interact with the kernel over a fixed interface, and are not depended on by anything other than its own subprogram in the kernel.
That was my initial impression as well. Certainly no one wants to see Rust scattered all over the OS like explosive diarrhea. But I have had time to think more about it.
I think that a better use of effort would be to re-implement Rust OS drivers in C than to implement Rust environmental support for smaller leaf functions. A C re-implementation would be a welcomed by all, would not add any OS build complexity or design complexity, and would only require one toolchain and debugger (for the OS), and no changes to the OS build system. As a bonus, the re-implemented C driver could probably be considered an original work and more easily incorporated as a true part of the OS*
*Disclaimer: I am not an attorney.
