Google sponsors the Linux project, the Linux kernel will have Rust code for the first time
The search engine giant is trying hard to use Rust code in the Linux kernel, which is a major technological change after only using the C language for decades. Google said on Thursday that they are funding a project to improve the security of Linux by writing the kernel part of the operating system in the Rust programming language. If the project succeeds, this change will mark a major technological change in an open-source software project. This move can strengthen the security of the Internet and smart devices. After all, Linux is the foundation of Android, Chrome OS, and many infrastructures on the Internet.
Miguel Ojeda has written the software used in the particle accelerator and has worked on programming language security. Therefore, Google signed a contract with Miguel, hoping to use his work in Rust for Linux and related security background to improve the memory security of the Linux kernel. This contract will last until at least next year.
Google’s goal is not to replace all the C code in the Linux operating system with Rust, but to use Rust to selectively improve existing parts and parts that will be added in the future.
Since the Linux operating system was launched in 1991, it has been written in the powerful but somewhat “old” C programming language. The C language was introduced as early as 1972, and it is more vulnerable to hacker attacks than contemporary programming languages.
In contrast to C, Rust was developed by Mozilla, the developer of the Firefox browser, and is now managed by the independent Rust Foundation. This programming language makes it safer to write software to memory. Moreover, in Stack Overflow’s annual developer survey, Rust has been ranked as the most favorite programming language for five consecutive years.
