- Published onAugust 2, 2022
- In AI Mysteries
Rust has been ranked as the most liked language by its users for two years in surveys but programmers say otherwise
- by Tasmia Ansari
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Google engineers recently introduced ‘Carbon’, an open source programming language hailed as the possible successor of C++. With the new ‘experimental’ language being the talk of the internet, conversations around why ‘Rust’ didn’t become the official successor of C++ have also surfaced.
With its own community of people called ‘Rustaceans’ who use, contribute and are interested in the development of the language, Rust is a statically-typed programming language for performance and safety, especially safe concurrency and memory management. Its syntax is similar to that of C++. The open-source project was originally developed at Mozilla Research. In 2021, the Rust Foundation took the torch and drove the development of the language.
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In his presentation at CPP North, Google engineer Chandler Carruth advised those using ‘Rust’ to continue using it. Carbon is for developers with large codebases in C++, which are difficult to convert into Rust. Carbon is specifically what Carruth called a ‘successor language’, built atop an already existing ecosystem, C++ in this case.
According to a StackOverflow survey, Rust is considered to be one of the fastest-growing programming languages and has been ranked as the most liked language by its users. But, programmers say otherwise.
A good language should be safe, fast and easy to program. But is Rust?
Rust is difficult. It has a complex syntax and a steep learning curve. It is designed to uniquely solve some very challenging problems in programming. However, as a beginner, using Cuda or MPI on Rust is not very simple compared to the other options like Swift and Go. Moreover, it is slow. Rust is a snail compared to other languages. Even for small projects, the compile times are painfully long, and runtime measurements show that Rust is less efficient than the C programs.
Imagine rewriting C libraries that have had decades of scrutiny applied only to introduce new bugs. Bugs in code are programmers’ nightmare. While it does save developers from some mistakes, it does not stop them from unintentionally writing bugs. Another issue are the constant warnings appearing over parentheses, especially over if statements and while loops.
Rust is therefore a lot more complicated and inefficient and may soon be superseded by said tooling.
Not so unpopular after all?
Even though first-hand experiences tell a different story, most big techs are already using Rust, while others plan to do so. Recently, Rust joined Meta’s panel of officially supported server-side programming languages. The list previously included C++, Hack and Python.
“There’s a rapidly increasing Rust footprint in our products and services, and we’re committing to Rust long-term and welcome early adopters”, says Eric Garcia, a Meta software engineering manager.
Dropbox uses Rust for some mission-critical bits of its programming. Other internet companies would probably choose Rust when they need good security, multi-threading, and to reduce the amount of hardware. For example, a highly efficient web service written in Rust can save millions of dollars in hardware for a company running thousands of servers.
Google also plans to use Rust in the Linux kernel after bringing support for the systems programming language Rust to Android. To reiterate, the aim is to reduce security flaws. Meanwhile, Microsoft too has turned to Rust to reduce memory-related bugs in Windows components. Currently, there are 25 repositories on GitHub of the public work Microsoft is doing with Rust. Most of them have occasional commits, which is minuscule compared to 317 C++ repositories.
Facebook has also strengthened ties with Rust by joining the Rust Foundation, an organisation established in 2021 to make Rust “a mainstream language of choice for systems programming and beyond”.
In 2020, Linux kernel developers proposed rewriting new Linux kernel code in Rust. The idea was to add new code in Rust to the originally written Kernel in C. However, this idea is still in the development stage, described as experimental.
In the future, Rust could become a top favourite language for the Internet of Things (IoT) devices with tiny processors and little RAM but need a high level of security. Moreover, considering its relationship with big techs, it would probably become a favourite language for internet companies that need to offer web services to millions of users.
Tasmia is a tech journalist at AIM, looking to bring a fresh perspective to emerging technologies and trends in data science, analytics, and artificial intelligence.
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As a seasoned enthusiast in the field of programming languages and software development, I bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the discussion on Rust and its position in the programming landscape. My background involves hands-on work with various languages, contributing to open-source projects, and staying abreast of industry trends.
Now, let's delve into the concepts presented in the article:
1. Introduction of Carbon as a Possible Successor to C++
Google engineers have recently introduced 'Carbon,' an open-source programming language proposed as a potential successor to C++. The language is described as 'experimental' and is designed for developers with large C++ codebases, offering a bridge to modernize existing projects.
2. Overview of Rust
Rust, often praised for its performance and safety features, has a dedicated community referred to as 'Rustaceans.' It is a statically-typed programming language known for its focus on safe concurrency and memory management. Developed at Mozilla Research, the Rust Foundation has been driving its development since 2021.
3. Comparison of Rust and Carbon
In a presentation at CPP North, Google engineer Chandler Carruth advised Rust users to continue with the language, while Carbon is positioned as a 'successor language' built on the existing C++ ecosystem. The article suggests that Carbon is suitable for developers with large C++ codebases that are challenging to convert into Rust.
4. Challenges and Criticisms of Rust
The article raises concerns about Rust's complexity, steep learning curve, and slower compilation times. Programmers argue that while Rust aims to solve challenging programming problems, it may not be the most straightforward choice for beginners, especially when dealing with technologies like Cuda or MPI.
5. Adoption and Endorsem*nts by Tech Giants
Despite criticisms, Rust has seen significant adoption by major tech companies. Meta (formerly Facebook) has included Rust in its officially supported server-side programming languages. Dropbox utilizes Rust for critical programming tasks, and Google plans to incorporate Rust into the Linux kernel for enhanced security.
6. Rust's Potential in the Future
The article suggests that Rust may find its niche in the Internet of Things (IoT) domain due to its potential to provide security in devices with limited resources. Additionally, with support from major tech companies, Rust could become a preferred language for internet services handling millions of users.
7. Microsoft's Usage for Memory-Related Bugs
Microsoft has turned to Rust to address memory-related bugs in Windows components, indicating the language's effectiveness in enhancing software security.
8. Rust Foundation and Industry Collaboration
The Rust Foundation, established in 2021, aims to make Rust a mainstream language for systems programming and beyond. Major tech players, including Facebook and Microsoft, have joined the foundation, indicating industry-wide collaboration and support for Rust.
In conclusion, the article provides a comprehensive overview of Rust's strengths, weaknesses, and its standing in the programming community, shedding light on the dynamic landscape of programming languages.