KernelCI and Rust in the Linux Kernel
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KernelCI now testing Linux Rust code
After waiting in the Linux-next integration tree for about 18 months, the basic Rust infrastructure will finally land in the mainline Linux kernel with the imminent release of v6.1. While this will not include any any real device drivers and only a few toy sample modules, further subsystem-specific bindings with real drivers should be added in the future.
During the 2022 Linux Maintainers Summit in Dublin, Linus Torvalds asked CI systems to start testing the new Rust infrastructure. So, with that in mind, we are excited to announce that as of today, Rust testing has now been added to KernelCI!
Here is a very brief review at the current state of Rust on the kernel side (which is already well documented on LWN.net, i.e. in this article or this v6.2 focused article) along with a look at the current status and future plans on the KernelCI project side, with some examples.
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KernelCI now testing Linux Rust code (Collabora blog) [LWN.net]
Over on the Collabora blog, Adrian Ratiu writes about the addition of the kernel's Rust code to the KernelCI automated kernel testing project. The blog post looks at what it took to add the support and on some plans for future additions, as well.
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Rust in the Linux Kernel - The New Stack
Not that long ago, the idea that another major language would be supported in the Linux kernel would have been laughable. Linux was C’s poster child. Sure, there have been efforts to introduce other languages into the kernel, notably C++. They failed. Badly. As Linux’s creator Linus Torvalds once said, “C++ is a horrible language.” So, why is Torvalds now welcoming Rust into the kernel? Listen, my friend, and I’ll tell you.
Rust began as a Mozilla Foundation project. This then new scratch-built language’s purpose was to incorporate the expressive syntax and flexibility of a high-level language with the fine control and performance of a low-level language. In particular, it was meant to improve performance, parallelization, and memory safety.