Rust for Linux: Safety gains vs maintainability fears

Linux mascot 'Tux' meeting Rust programming language mascot 'Ferris' as kernel maintainers debate the benefits vs challenges of integrating memory-safe Rust and moving away from its C foundations.

The Linux kernel community is embroiled in a heated debate over the integration of Rust code, with contributors clashing over safety benefits, maintainability challenges, and the potential risks of a multi-language codebase.

The discussion, sparked by a policy document published by Rust for Linux lead developer Miguel Ojeda, highlights growing tensions between advocates of memory-safe Rust and defenders of the kernel’s decades-old C foundations.

Ojeda published a...

21 February 2025 | Developer

Rust 1.85.0 released, 2024 Edition stabilised

Rust mascot illustrating the release of 1.85.0 of the popular programming language alongside the stabilisation of the 2024 Edition that offers plenty for software developers to play with.

The Rust programming language has reached another milestone with the release of 1.85.0 alongside the stabilisation of the 2024 Edition.

Rust – which is regularly crowned as the “most loved” programming language – continues to empower developers with its reliability, efficiency, and modern development features.  

The latest release delivers a host of updates across the language, standard library, cargo, and formatting tools, all while maintaining its...

20 February 2025 | Developer

Linux 6.14: Rust milestone, AMD and Intel updates, and more

Sudo command in a terminal on Ubuntu as the first release candidate for Linux 6.14 is deployed with a milestone in Rust programming language adoption, improvements to Intel and AMD support, and more.

Linus Torvalds has announced the first Release Candidate (RC) for Linux kernel 6.14, marking the beginning of public testing. This release comes two weeks after the debut of the Linux 6.13 kernel and the opening of Linux 6.14’s merge window.

This milestone sets in motion the rapid development cadence leading up to the stable release, which is expected in roughly two months. Torvalds invites users and developers to test the RCs and report any issues to ensure a smooth final...

3 February 2025 | Developer

Linux kernel 6.13: Filesystem upgrades, Rust boost, and more

Arch Linux logo on a laptop illustrating the release of kernel 6.13 bringing a range of improvements to filesystems, hardware support, improved Rust programming language integration, and more.

The release of Linux kernel 6.13 has arrived, bringing with it a trove of updates to keep the OS at the forefront of performance, security, and hardware compatibility. From enhanced drivers and updated architecture support to new filesystem features and better virtualisation integrations, the new kernel version is another reminder of what makes Linux indispensable.

Linux creator Linus Torvalds confirmed the stable release of 6.13 in via the Linux Kernel Mailing List (LKML). The...

20 January 2025 | Developer

2024 Developer Ecosystem: Shedding AI fears, improving DevEx

Happy person sat at a computer illustrating the release of the 2024 State of Developer Ecosystem Report that highlights a number of key software development trends including the acceptance of AI in tools, split between desktop and mobile programming, growth in DevEx, and expected salaries.

Each year, JetBrains, the maker of developer tools like IntelliJ IDEA and PyCharm, compiles its "State of Developer Ecosystem Report," and the 2024 edition offers plenty of insights for the tech community to dissect.

Based on the input of over 26,000 developers worldwide, this year’s edition highlights key trends in programming languages, tools, and processes—placing a particular focus on AI adoption, career shifts, and the state of developer experience (DevEx). 

AI's...

11 December 2024 | Artificial Intelligence

Unity 6 launches amid ongoing effort to rebuild trust

Person holding a gaming controller to illustrate the launch of the Unity 6 game development platform.

Unity 6 has launched and is being touted as the most stable and high-performing version of the game development platform to date.

Matt Bromberg, President and CEO of Unity, revealed the launch in a blog post, emphasising the company's commitment to developer-centric improvements and long-term support.

Bromberg, who recently took the helm from John Riccitiello amid numerous controversies, including the widely-criticised (and since-cancelled) Runtime Fee, is steering the...

17 October 2024 | Developer

Entry points threaten multiple open-source ecosystems

Sign illustrating how vulnerabilities with entry points can be exploited by hackers to threaten open-source packages of multiple programming ecosystems.

While current tools have improved at detecting common tactics for exploiting open-source packages, a feature remains largely overlooked: entry points.

Security researchers at Checkmarx uncovered how attackers can leverage entry points across multiple programming ecosystems, with a particular focus on PyPI, to trick victims into running malicious code. This method – while not allowing for immediate system compromise – offers a subtler approach for patient attackers to...

14 October 2024 | Developer

Safe Coding: Google’s strategy reduces memory safety vulnerabilities

Google logo illustrating its Safe Coding strategy to reduce memory safety vulnerabilities to improve security.

Google has unveiled compelling data highlighting the efficacy of its "Safe Coding" approach in reducing memory safety vulnerabilities.

The tech giant's strategy, which prioritises the use of memory-safe programming languages for new code development, has yielded impressive results. Most notably, Android has seen a sharp decline in memory safety vulnerabilities, plummeting from 76% of all vulnerabilities in 2019 to just 24% in 2024.

This reduction is particularly...

26 September 2024 | Android

Linux Foundation Decentralized Trust aims for web3 innovation

Chain of blocks to illustrate the launch of the Linux Foundation Decentralized Trust to advance open source web3 technologies.

The Linux Foundation Decentralized Trust aims to foster collaboration and innovation across the web3 ecosystem of blockchain, ledger, identity, interoperability, and cryptographic technologies.

With over 100 founding members, LF Decentralized Trust claims to be a neutral platform for the collaborative development of technologies powering the transition to a digital-first economy. The organisation builds upon more than eight years of work from across the Linux Foundation,...

16 September 2024 | Blockchain

Mozilla injects Rust into Thunderbird to boost performance

Mozilla has announced the release of Thunderbird 128, codenamed Nebula, which introduces significant improvements to the popular email client's codebase, stability, and overall user experience. The most notable change is the integration of Rust, a modern programming language originally created by Mozilla Research, into Thunderbird's core.

This integration marks a major leap forward for the open-source email client, as it promises to enhance code quality and performance. The...

15 July 2024 | Languages