this post was submitted on 09 Feb 2026
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While Linux 7.0 is the next kernel version solely over Linus Torvalds' numbering preference, there is a notable symbolic change that was sent in overnight for this new kernel merge window: formally concluding the "Rust experiment" with upstream kernel developers now in acceptance that Rust for the Linux kernel is here to stay.

The patch was talked about back in December that the Rust experiment is over and it's here to stay. There are already uses for Rust in production environments, some Linux distributions shipping with Rust kernel code, and millions of Android devices also using it.

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[โ€“] TrivialBetaState@sopuli.xyz 37 points 5 days ago (27 children)

Can someone explain to me why Rust has been so controversial for the GNU/Linux kernel? One thing that I personally don't like is that the equivalent Rust-made (equivalent) GNU tools are licensed under MIT (or Apache? - something permissive like that) instead of GPL. If they were under GPL, I'd be more than happy. But since the kernel is under GPL regardless of C or Rust, what is the reason for the backlash? Sounds like a very promising language indeed.

[โ€“] lbfgs@programming.dev 11 points 4 days ago

One big practical criticism is that it requires a different compiler which is supported on far fewer platforms than GCC

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