Rust, Linux, NuShell

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Simply am summarizing some of my findings with regards to Rust based on exploring OS and shell options in recent years. Linux does appear to be the optimal environment for development using Rust.

  • Linux has UTF-8 efficiency in the core kernel (e.g. not fixed wide-chars).
  • Rust 1.90 has lld on Linux, for build performance and ext4 has the edge over brtfs, NTFS (and ZFS, e.g. BSD)
  • Linux kernel using Rust relatively aggressively.
  • Rust FFI relatively robust on Linux

Last but not least, in the Linux world, known for more command shell use, nushell is available and has been maturing. Nushell scripts, and even commands, use a Rust paradigm. Nushell is written in Rust! It's easily arguable that nushell is the most exiting and revolutionary shell available. Nushell helps tame Linux and gives users, administrators, and developers, clearer and more logical control of Linux usage and management e.g. by using names for command I/O data fields. Like BusyBox, nushell has built-in versions (replacements or alternatives) of several Linux core utilities (however, it is also being modularized). Like uutils, nushell is a Rust update for traditional Linux GNU core utilities. And again, nushell is a great fit for Rust developers as it reinforces the Rust functional and type approaches.

Certainly, Rust is well usable on Windows, MacOS, (and FreeBSD). Linux has the edge.

Even in 2023: 2023 Annual Rust Survey Results | Rust Blog

...Linux being the most popular choice of Rust users...

Hope helpful. Not suggesting the need to change OSes to use Rust. However, for those who may already be weighing OS options for Rust development, Linux is absolutely a solid selection and it's the selection that I have made.

Others may have other opinions. Certainly not seeking a "best OS for Rust" debate, simply sharing my research and experience in seeking a platform for Rust. By all means, highlight other pluses of other OSes for Rust development. For me, a major aspect that I couldn't ignore, even if I prefer some aspects of Windows, is the performance aspect, that the Linux kernel uses UTF-8 and Windows use wide-chars. That settled it for me. At least we have more options that are viable in 2025 than in decades past. And Rust has excellent cross-platform support, which shows that Rust is intended to cover all the bases that C/C++ covers, including embedded systems. I.e. Rust is a serious and foundational industry tool set.

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What are you asking there?

Many of us create software to make users happy. Because happy users pay money and then we don't starve.

If those users happen to be using Windows our creations have to run there to make them happy. Similarly for Mac and Linux and whatever.

Well that is my life. Develop on Mac, deploy on Linux and Windows. So far it has worked out very well.

3 Likes
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Let us not fall into the default state of the perspective of a forum as only a technical support venue. It's important for forums to also be a place of discussion, ideas, and helpful tips and information. Rust is easily arguably the most advanced revolutionary language and toolchain in the history of software engineering, on par with C when C first emerged. So, let the Rust forum spread the buzz and excitement of Rust. :slight_smile:

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As a long time user of C and a bunch of other compiled to native languages I totally agree with you there.

It's just this forum isn't really the place to spread the buzz. I imagine the people here are already on board with that.

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Sorry, I was not able to make any sense with your post when I read it a week ago, I had no idea why you actually wrote it. And I still wonder why it took you a week to reply to the first reply.

I am using Linux exclusively for 20 years, and Rust now for two years. Both are OK, I think I will continue with it, but perhaps try some other languages also. After Rust, most other languages should feel quite easy. But this is a Rust programmers forum, so people here should generally like Rust a bit, and programmers often like and use Linux. But I think Linux market share is about only one percent, and is not really increasing. For desktop, games, office, and people without a technical background Linux might be not the best fit. And of course it is a bit hard to sell software written primary for Linux -- Linux users typically like to get all for free. For NuShell -- I think I heard about it already, so yes I could try it. But there is so much other stuff to do and to try...

I don't know why I wrote this post now, I think I should think a bit more about my target audience and purpose before writing something :slight_smile:

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Moi aussi, experience in C/C++/C#. All fine and usable languages that were themselves pioneering (when emerged), but Rust reflects lessons learned.

Useful tips and information can be part of the buzz, I think.