Rust for Linux Maintainer Steps Down in Frustration With 'Nontechnical Nonsense'

Wedson Almeida Filho, a key contributor to the Rust for Linux project, has resigned due to frustration with "nontechnical nonsense," hindering his enthusiasm for the project. Filho, a software engineer at Microsoft, has been involved in the project for nearly four years. The resignation comes amidst growing efforts to introduce memory-safe languages like Rust into the Linux kernel, aiming to address the prevalent issue of memory safety bugs in C and C++. These bugs are frequently cited as a major source of vulnerabilities in large software projects. Organizations like Microsoft, Google, and the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency are advocating for the adoption of memory-safe languages. The integration of Rust into Linux was initiated in 2020 and materialized in Linux 6.1 in late 2022. Filho believes that memory-safe languages are essential for the future of kernels, expressing concern that Linux's failure to embrace them could lead to its replacement by another kernel.