Microsoft is working on integrating Rust, a programming language that emphasizes performance, type safety, and concurrency, into the Windows 11 kernel. According to David Weston, Vice President, Enterprise and OS Security at Microsoft, the company plans to boot Windows 11 with Rust code inside in the near future.
Weston revealed the plans during a presentation at the BlueHat Israel 2023 conference, saying:
“So you'll actually have Windows booting with Rust in the kernel in probably the next several weeks or months, which is really cool. Umm basic goal here was to convert some of these internal C++ data types into their Rust equivalents.”
Integrating Rust into Windows 11 is part of Microsoft's efforts to improve the security and reliability of its operating system, as Rust prevents common memory errors that can lead to crashes or vulnerabilities.
Rust Emphasizes Performance
Rust was developed by Mozilla Research in 2006 and has been gaining popularity among developers and companies for its features and performance. Rust is also used in Servo, an experimental browser engine that aims to be faster and more secure than existing ones. Microsoft is not the only company interested in Rust, as Amazon, Google, and Facebook have also adopted the language for some of their projects.
Microsoft's move to use Rust in Windows 11 is a sign of the growing influence of the language in the software industry. Rust has been voted the most loved programming language by Stack Overflow users for six years and has been the subject of academic research and innovation. Rust could also help Microsoft compete with Linux, which recently announced support for Rust as a second high-level language for kernel development.
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