Why the Linux Kernel Is Now a Rust Language Project

Episode 12 of The Linux Podcast dives into the biggest change to kernel development in decades: the gradual integration of Rust as a second language alongside C. Lucas and Luna trace the story from the 2022 initial merge of Rust support to the May 2026 milestone where over 200 contributors have submitted Rust patches for drivers and subsystems. They discuss the specific memory-safety wins—like eliminating use-after-free bugs in the GPU driver stack—and why kernel maintainers are still cautious. The episode also covers the practical hurdles: the unstable Rust compiler, the learning curve for C veterans, and the push to get Rust into Android's Generic Kernel Image. If you've heard 'Rust for Linux' and wondered whether it's real or hype, this is the episode for you. #RustForLinux #LinuxKernel #MemorySafety #OperatingSystems #OpenSource #KernelDevelopment #SystemsProgramming #GPUDrivers #AndroidKernel #CompilerStability #CProgramming #SoftwareEngineering #Technology #TechPodcast #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #LinuxPodcast #OpenSourcePodcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo