this post was submitted on 09 Sep 2024
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Google recently rewrote the firmware for protected virtual machines in its Android Virtualization Framework using the Rust programming language and wants you to do the same, assuming you deal with firmware.

In a write-up on Thursday, Android engineers Ivan Lozano and Dominik Maier dig into the technical details of replacing legacy C and C++ code with Rust.

"You'll see how easy it is to boost security with drop-in Rust replacements, and we'll even demonstrate how the Rust toolchain can handle specialized bare-metal targets," said Lozano and Maier.

Easy is not a term commonly heard with regard to a programming language known for its steep learning curve.

Nor is it easy to get C and C++ developers to see the world with Rust-tinted lenses. Just last week, one of the maintainers of the Rust for Linux project - created to work Rust code into the C-based Linux kernel - stepped down, citing resistance from Linux kernel developers.

"Here's the thing, you're not going to force all of us to learn Rust," said a Linux kernel contributor during a lively discussion earlier this year at a conference.

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[–] 0x0@programming.dev 69 points 10 months ago (4 children)

One of the deep-pocketed founding members of the Rust Foundation says it's easy. I'm surprised.

[–] Ephera@lemmy.ml 21 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Wut? They're a member, because they find Rust useful. This is just them saying another time that they find Rust useful.
While they (and everyone using Rust) will benefit off of more people using Rust, it's not like they have a vested interest to the point of spreading misinformation.

[–] lysdexic@programming.dev 11 points 10 months ago (1 children)

They’re a member, because they find Rust useful. This is just them saying another time that they find Rust useful.

Fans of a programming language stating they like the programming language is hardly thought-provoking stuff. There are also apps written in brainfuck and that means nothing as well.

[–] Ephera@lemmy.ml 5 points 10 months ago

I'm pretty sure that's not how dyslexia works, but either way, I didn't write that. And while the title of the article suggests otherwise, the news here isn't that Google says something is easy. The news is that they published a guide to make that thing easy.

[–] lolcatnip@reddthat.com 15 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Clearly Rust is a conspiracy.

[–] lysdexic@programming.dev 6 points 10 months ago (6 children)

Clearly Rust is a conspiracy.

Anyone in software development who was not born yesterday is already well aware of the whole FOMO cycle:

  1. hey there's a shiny new tool,
  2. it's so fantastic only morons don't use it,
  3. oh god what a huge mistake I did,
  4. hey, there's a shiny new tool,
[–] Spore@lemmy.ml 10 points 10 months ago (3 children)

I assume that you do know that tools improve objectively in the cycle and are making a joke on purpose.

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[–] nitefox@sh.itjust.works 5 points 10 months ago

The ruinous powers are plotting once more

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[–] GetOffMyLan@programming.dev 68 points 10 months ago (21 children)

Here's the thing, you're not going to force all of us to learn Rust

That seems like a poor attitude imo.

[–] lowleveldata@programming.dev 35 points 10 months ago (4 children)

A valid point tho. Generally it is difficult to ask everybody to learn a new language.

[–] tiredofsametab@fedia.io 49 points 10 months ago (3 children)

I mean, I work as a software engineering and if I'm not doing continuing ed, be it about architecture, storage, or new languages, I'm going to be of less value in the marketplace. I've learnt languages I didn't particularly want to in the past for work (though I generally came to tolerate or even like some of them. Not lua, though; lua can go to hell).

If Rust truly is the better, safer option, then these people are holding everything back.

[–] wewbull@feddit.uk 37 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

"learn Rust" in this case is learn it to a level where all of the little behaviour around cross language integrations are understood and security flaws won't be introduced. Expert level.

It's not "I did a pet project over the weekend".

[–] tiredofsametab@fedia.io 25 points 10 months ago (4 children)

You are correct and I am aware of that. However, it also seems that they both refuse to learn it and refuse to work with people at that expert level based on the recent drama, which seems very much like holding things back to me.

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[–] FizzyOrange@programming.dev 3 points 10 months ago (5 children)

That's a lot easily than learning the C to the same level and they "force" everyone to learn C.

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[–] stupidcasey@lemmy.world 23 points 10 months ago (1 children)

C/C++ is the bedrock of our modern civilization in some ways more fundamental than actual bedrock, the first step in getting any OS running is making it run C and after that you are basically done, it’s not surprising that developers resist, if nothing else it’s a common language, and standards are hard to change on the best of days. This isn’t just learning a language, it’s a complete paradigm shift.

[–] calcopiritus@lemmy.world 15 points 10 months ago (1 children)

The bedrock of modern civilizations is expensive to develop, buggy and unergonomic though.

If you make C run, you probably (I'm not sure, would have to verify) can make rust run. And if there isn't yet, there will probably soon be a C compiler written in rust, so you can choose to bootstrap from wherever you prefer.

C's ABI will probably last longer than C, since there is not a stable rust ABI though.

[–] BatmanAoD@programming.dev 7 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (3 children)

You cannot, today, build a Rust compiler directly from C, but you're right that people are working on it. See this recent post: https://notgull.net/announcing-dozer/

Edit: you can certainly bootstrap Rust from C via C++, as the article covers. I misinterpreted the comment above.

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[–] theherk@lemmy.world 37 points 10 months ago

Fortunately, they aren’t being asked to do that. All the rust team was requesting was metadata about the call signatures so that they could have a grasp on expected behavior.

[–] BatmanAoD@programming.dev 24 points 10 months ago

It would be a valid point if he weren't literally speaking over the people trying to tell him that they're not demanding he learn Rust: https://youtu.be/WiPp9YEBV0Q?si=b3OB4Y9LU-ffJA4c&t=1548

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[–] BatmanAoD@programming.dev 26 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Oh jeeze, you have no idea. You can watch it yourself: https://youtu.be/WiPp9YEBV0Q?si=b3OB4Y9LU-ffJA4c&t=1548

That timestamp is about where the audience member (a maintainer of ext4 and related utilities) starts speaking. The "here's the thing" quote is around 28:40.

[–] GetOffMyLan@programming.dev 21 points 10 months ago

Wow what an absolute dick

[–] PlexSheep@infosec.pub 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I mean aren't they forcing everyone else to learn C/C++ otherwise? If we follow that logic, at least

[–] GetOffMyLan@programming.dev 4 points 10 months ago (2 children)

I guess you can argue it's already written in C. So that was always a requirement.

[–] sukhmel@programming.dev 3 points 10 months ago (6 children)

That way we'll just find maintainers went near extinct over time, just like COBOL developers that are as rare as they are expensive. Only Linux kernel isn't a bank, and maybe will not have as much money to pay to rare developers capable of maintaining C codebase

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[–] raker@lemmy.world 46 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

2024: Google says replacing C/C++ with Rust is easy

2025: Google buys Rust

2026: Google shuts down Rust

[–] newcockroach@lemmy.world 8 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

😆🙄🤔Wait, Isn't rust a community made project?

[–] PlexSheep@infosec.pub 19 points 10 months ago (1 children)
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[–] model_tar_gz@lemmy.world 10 points 10 months ago

They need to tell that to Theodore Ts’o.

[–] eronth@lemmy.world 7 points 10 months ago (7 children)

Rust is one of those things that every time I look into it, I don't really follow what makes it so good. What's a good starter project to learn the language and get a sense of what makes it worthwhile over the established stuff?

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[–] nickwitha_k 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

If the target for the firmware has stdlib already implemented, my experience has been that it is indeed easy with minimal experience in the language.

[–] 0x0@programming.dev 32 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Mixing "firmware" with "easy with minimal experience" in the same sentence makes me cringe...

[–] nickwitha_k 13 points 10 months ago (4 children)

That's fair. To be clear, I meant minimal experience with the Rust programming language. I've mainly tinkered with ESP32 types of MCUs in Arduino and CircuitPython when it comes to firmware, but have much more software experience. In some ways, I found the little bit of Rust that I tried easier because of the tooling - defaulting to a CLI tool to flash rather than an IDE is much more comfortable for me.

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[–] socsa@piefed.social 3 points 10 months ago

Meh, it's depends on what you do. I know several low level C engineers who would be far more comfortable rolling a fresh driver over doing some more abstract intro CS projects.

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