• thingsiplay@beehaw.org
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      2 hours ago

      This only means programmers of Linux itself can use Rust to program the Kernel. In example if Rust programmers are good at it, they can use the language over something they are not good at it like C in example. You as the end user does not see any direct difference. Like with any other application if its written in Rust or in C, it does not matter much if you use the binary executable.

    • jokro@feddit.org
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      11 hours ago

      No. It’s only about the kernel itself, not Linux Systems(aka Distributions).

      Earlier the kernel did only consist of C code, but for some time now the option to develop parts of the kernel in Rust is being worked on. In the end it both compiles to native machine code. The running kernel does not require the Rust toolchain to be present.

      • Ephera@lemmy.ml
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        9 hours ago

        Yeah, Python requires a “runtime” program, which interprets the Python code and then translates it into native machine code to actually execute it. Because Rust is compiled directly to native machine code by the developer, you don’t need a runtime program on your PC to run Rust programs.

        This is also one of the biggest reasons why Rust can be used for kernel development. You cannot rely on a runtime program for developing a kernel, since launching a program requires a kernel to already be up and running.