Microsoft Bets on Rust: Tier-1 Status and Its Own Code Generator
I read Simon Bisson's analysis in Computer Sweden: Microsoft has upgraded Rust to internal Tier-1 status, on the same level as C#, TypeScript and C. The status requires, among other things, a full toolchain and integration with Windows and Azure.
The background is that Mark Russinovich, Azure's CTO, has pushed Rust's memory safety as an important part of Microsoft's security strategy, and Microsoft was also one of the founders of the Rust Foundation. A guest post on the Rust Foundation's website describes how Rust is connected to Microsoft Visual C (MSVC) for seamless interoperability between the languages.
The most concrete item is a new backend for the Rust compiler, rustc_codegen_utc. It uses the Visual C backend, a DLL called C2.DLL, and hands .OBJ files to the MSVC linker. The advantage is that Rust can benefit from Microsoft's existing security and stability work, and Rust and C code become compatible. Microsoft calls it production-ready and says more than a hundred internal Rust projects use it. However, it is internal only, and the company has hinted that the tools could become open source but gave no timeline.
For those of us outside Microsoft, the situation is more down to earth: Rust support in VS Code goes through rust-analyzer, you still need the MSVC C Build Tools to build, and Microsoft's windows crate gives direct access to the Windows APIs. The article's advice is to start with the tools that already exist when learning Windows development in Rust.
Personally I find it interesting to see such a large company invest in not having to maintain two separate compiler teams. What do you use Rust for?
Source: Computer Sweden
The background is that Mark Russinovich, Azure's CTO, has pushed Rust's memory safety as an important part of Microsoft's security strategy, and Microsoft was also one of the founders of the Rust Foundation. A guest post on the Rust Foundation's website describes how Rust is connected to Microsoft Visual C (MSVC) for seamless interoperability between the languages.
The most concrete item is a new backend for the Rust compiler, rustc_codegen_utc. It uses the Visual C backend, a DLL called C2.DLL, and hands .OBJ files to the MSVC linker. The advantage is that Rust can benefit from Microsoft's existing security and stability work, and Rust and C code become compatible. Microsoft calls it production-ready and says more than a hundred internal Rust projects use it. However, it is internal only, and the company has hinted that the tools could become open source but gave no timeline.
For those of us outside Microsoft, the situation is more down to earth: Rust support in VS Code goes through rust-analyzer, you still need the MSVC C Build Tools to build, and Microsoft's windows crate gives direct access to the Windows APIs. The article's advice is to start with the tools that already exist when learning Windows development in Rust.
Personally I find it interesting to see such a large company invest in not having to maintain two separate compiler teams. What do you use Rust for?
Source: Computer Sweden
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