Google insists it's easy to add Rust code to your firmware
www.theregister.com
Not so much when trying to convert coding veterans

Google recently rewrote the firmware for protected virtual machines in its Android Virtualization Framework using the Rust programming language and wants you to do the same, assuming you deal with firmware.

In a write-up on Thursday, Android engineers Ivan Lozano and Dominik Maier dig into the technical details of replacing legacy C and C++ code with Rust.

“You’ll see how easy it is to boost security with drop-in Rust replacements, and we’ll even demonstrate how the Rust toolchain can handle specialized bare-metal targets,” said Lozano and Maier.

Easy is not a term commonly heard with regard to a programming language known for its steep learning curve.

Nor is it easy to get C and C++ developers to see the world with Rust-tinted lenses. Just last week, one of the maintainers of the Rust for Linux project - created to work Rust code into the C-based Linux kernel - stepped down, citing resistance from Linux kernel developers.

“Here’s the thing, you’re not going to force all of us to learn Rust,” said a Linux kernel contributor during a lively discussion earlier this year at a conference.

  • nickwitha_k (he/him)
    0•2 months ago

    If the target for the firmware has stdlib already implemented, my experience has been that it is indeed easy with minimal experience in the language.

    • @[email protected]
      0•2 months ago

      Mixing “firmware” with “easy with minimal experience” in the same sentence makes me cringe…

      • socsaEnglish
        0•2 months ago

        Meh, it’s depends on what you do. I know several low level C engineers who would be far more comfortable rolling a fresh driver over doing some more abstract intro CS projects.

      • nickwitha_k (he/him)
        0•2 months ago

        That’s fair. To be clear, I meant minimal experience with the Rust programming language. I’ve mainly tinkered with ESP32 types of MCUs in Arduino and CircuitPython when it comes to firmware, but have much more software experience. In some ways, I found the little bit of Rust that I tried easier because of the tooling - defaulting to a CLI tool to flash rather than an IDE is much more comfortable for me.

        • @[email protected]
          0•2 months ago

          I’ve been meaning to play with rust, and I’ve always enjoyed tinkering with various MCUs… Although I’m not very strong with firmware/embedded programming.

          Do you think programming an ESP32 is a good project for learning rust?
          Any suggested place to start? (Tutorials, YouTube Vida etc)

          • nickwitha_k (he/him)
            0•2 months ago

            Do you think programming an ESP32 is a good project for learning rust?

            I’ve only barely scratched the surface there myself but, I absolutely do think so. For several reasons. First, ESP32 is one of the few series of MCUs that support the Rust stdlib. And learning what that entails for Rust is extremely helpful in conceptualizing build targets. Second, MCUs are a very constrained target for software/firmware. Getting comfortable there will likely improve your code efficiency in other code platforms as you are more likely to think about resource usage earlier. And third, there’s some pretty excellent docs and tutorials.

            Any suggested place to start? (Tutorials, YouTube Vida etc)

            For tutorials, my recommended starting point is with the official docs/books themselves:

            • Fork_Merge
              0•2 months ago

              @nickwitha_k @towerful

              Write a driver or i/o for an mcu?
              Unless most is already done i don’t see rust at present able to make something scalable.
              And that’s not about rust it’s about mcu’s…
              I could be wrong though.

              But it’s supported so some cool learning can go on…