While Linux 7.0 is the next kernel version solely over Linus Torvalds’ numbering preference, there is a notable symbolic change that was sent in overnight for this new kernel merge window: formally concluding the “Rust experiment” with upstream kernel developers now in acceptance that Rust for the Linux kernel is here to stay.
The patch was talked about back in December that the Rust experiment is over and it’s here to stay. There are already uses for Rust in production environments, some Linux distributions shipping with Rust kernel code, and millions of Android devices also using it.
@pressanykeynow @Corbin There is some python in the build infrastructure.
But this is the real reason for the push-back against Rust: it is something else that everybody involved has to learn, and that means diluting the extreme expertise in C that makes the kernel so good.
In a distant nirvana, there will be no C left, only Rust, and then all developers can really drill down on that.