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Ask HN: How much could be cut out of Rust and still be memory and thread safe?
Is there a "core" to Rust? Could everything else be removed not core and still end up with a powerful, expressive and safe language? Could any of Rusts "six sublanguages" be removed entirely?
I really want a language that is memory and thread safe, but culled, honed and cut down to the absolute minimum language, to reduce the learning curve. So I am wondering if a razor was taken to Rust if you might find a simple and elegant core left and nothing else.
- hmmbutwhy 4y agoWhy not just use one of the dozens of available alternatives? Go sounds like what you're after. Or perhaps Java. Both are much simpler, memory-safe languages (with arguably other trade-offs). Or maybe Erlang?
- andrewstuart 4y agoWe aren't talking about the same definition of "memory safe".
- steveklabnik 4y agoWhat are the “six sublanguages”? Your question also doesn’t include if you are willing to compromise on any of Rust’s goals. Doing so would certainly let you make a simpler language, but then you don’t have what makes Rust Rust. Here’s an example of someone who was involved in the design of Rust for a long time grappling with this question: https://boats.gitlab.io/blog/post/notes-on-a-smaller-rust/ https://boats.gitlab.io/blog/post/notes-on-a-smaller-rust/
- andrewstuart 4y agoSix sub languages : https://gist.github.com/brendanzab/d41c3ae485d66c07178749eaeeb9e5f7 https://gist.github.com/brendanzab/d41c3ae485d66c07178749eae...
- tus666 4y ago> I really want a language that is memory and thread safe, but culled, honed and cut down to the absolute minimum language, to reduce the learning curve. The problem is the syntax around the borrow checker is the learning curve. And if you cut out that, you are basically back to plain-old-C.
- _448 4y agoSwift is what you are looking for then? It has same goals as Rust(the original creator of Rust is(was?) working on Swift).
- steveklabnik 4y agoWas, and it’s been a long time since that was the case.
- _448 4y agoHey Steve, You are well versed in Rust, so would it be possible for you to do a comparison of Rust with other memory-safe language Swift? It will help a mere mortal like me to understand the difference in a better way. BTW, has Graydon joined the Rust core team?
- steveklabnik 4y agoI don't have enough practical experience with Swift to make a full comparison. Graydon hasn't worked on Rust in any capacity in a very long time.