Should I learn Rust?

[apoyusiken]

I dont know very much abt it apart from the memes but dont know much low level stuff and i dont like the idea of still going with c (its not that its old and i know its super cool, but its lacking some stuff). 

[Hinjima]

Just now, apoyusiken said:

I dont know very much abt it apart from the memes but dont know much low level stuff and i dont like the idea of still going with c (its not that its old and i know its super cool, but its lacking some stuff). 

How on earth are we supposed to decide if you should learn it or not?

That is entirely up to you.

[Dedayog]

3 minutes ago, apoyusiken said:

I dont know very much abt it apart from the memes but dont know much low level stuff and i dont like the idea of still going with c (its not that its old and i know its super cool, but its lacking some stuff). 

Why do you think you should learn it?  Or do you even want to?

 

I get it, but the forums shouldn't be a replacement for thinking for yourself.  So many of your questions on the forums are you just not bothering to explain things at all.

 

This is a very much YOU question.

 

At least give us reasoning why you think you should or shouldn't, and then ask our opinion of that.

 

 

[apoyusiken]

2 minutes ago, Hinjima said:

How on earth are we supposed to decide if you should learn it or not?

That is entirely up to you.

yea not asking for orders, but some information. I know i could use google and stuff but i felt like directly asking to people was a better choice. I mean since there are no other alternatives the answer seems like an obvious yes but to put it in a better way, im asking will it be fun?

 

1 minute ago, Dedayog said:

Why do you think you should learn it?  Or do you even want to?

 

I get it, but the forums shouldn't be a replacement for thinking for yourself.  So many of your questions on the forums are you just not bothering to explain things at all.

 

This is a very much YOU question.

 

At least give us reasoning why you think you should or shouldn't, and then ask our opinion of that.

 

 

I dont specifically wanna learn rust but its for fun, think of it like reading a book of it makes sense? Also i like linux and stuff and maybe it will help me go low level?

 

I get it but the forums help a lot and it's not replacing thinking, i get crucial information here and its not as easy to find authentic information with ai slop and crappy articles.. 

 

And tbh i just seriously considered this, but basically the question is, is it worth the headaches?

 

[AbydosOne]

11 minutes ago, apoyusiken said:

I dont specifically wanna learn rust but its for fun, think of it like reading a book of it makes sense? Also i like linux and stuff and maybe it will help me go low level?

Do you already program in other languages? Reading a book in Russian doesn't do me any good as I don't know the language, despite being able to sound out all the letters.

 

Learning computers from the top down is likely going to be very confusing; there's a certain point where one has to start at the bottom and work upward to meet in the middle (which for me is somewhere around "driver stack"). If you're starting with programming, learning paradigms/algorithms/"whys" is more helpful than learning languages.

[apoyusiken]

Just now, AbydosOne said:

Do you already program in other languages? Reading a book in Russian doesn't do me any good as I don't know the language, despite being able to sound out all the letters.

 

Learning computers from the top down is likely going to be very confusing; there's a certain point where one has to start at the bottom and work upward to meet in the middle (which for me is somewhere around "driver stack"). If you're starting with programming, learning paradigms/algorithms/"whys" is more helpful than learning languages.

yea i know fairly well abt programming and pcs 

[jaslion]

My fish says yes

[Sauron]

20 hours ago, apoyusiken said:

Also i like linux and stuff and maybe it will help me go low level?

I'd say there's no connection between learning Rust and using Linux beyond what learning any programming would have.

 

Rust is a very strict language that requires a solid understanding of programming in general to make good use of; I would not recommend it as someone's first approach to programming. If you don't understand memory management you'll just be constantly frustrated by the borrow checker.

 

On the other hand it's very well documented and the compiler is very verbose and helpful compared to others. The tooling is modern and there are many good libraries available.

20 hours ago, apoyusiken said:

I dont specifically wanna learn rust but its for fun, think of it like reading a book of it makes sense?

20 hours ago, apoyusiken said:

And tbh i just seriously considered this, but basically the question is, is it worth the headaches?

Only you can say what's fun for you but... if you have a specific project in mind that can be done with easier languages that you already know you might as well use those, if the goal is purely fun and you don't have performance requirements or other restrictions that make Rust ideal. If the "fun" is learning onto itself then sure, you might as well learn Rust or any other language that sounds interesting to you... but in keeping with the book comparison, bear in mind this is more like reading "war and peace" rather than "harry potter". Potentially more rewarding but requiring a bit more effort.

[apoyusiken]

2 hours ago, Sauron said:

I'd say there's no connection between learning Rust and using Linux beyond what learning any programming would have.

 

Rust is a very strict language that requires a solid understanding of programming in general to make good use of; I would not recommend it as someone's first approach to programming. If you don't understand memory management you'll just be constantly frustrated by the borrow checker.

 

On the other hand it's very well documented and the compiler is very verbose and helpful compared to others. The tooling is modern and there are many good libraries available.

Only you can say what's fun for you but... if you have a specific project in mind that can be done with easier languages that you already know you might as well use those, if the goal is purely fun and you don't have performance requirements or other restrictions that make Rust ideal. If the "fun" is learning onto itself then sure, you might as well learn Rust or any other language that sounds interesting to you... but in keeping with the book comparison, bear in mind this is more like reading "war and peace" rather than "harry potter". Potentially more rewarding but requiring a bit more effort.

thanks a lot. I guess you dont get the point abt linux tho? We need to go low level to understand the kernel and rust is good for that. 

[smcoakley]

3 hours ago, Sauron said:

I'd say there's no connection between learning Rust and using Linux beyond what learning any programming would have.

There's some nuance to that.

 

Some languages like C# and Swift have a strong preference for a specific operating system. there's definitely a connection between learning those languages and using the operating systems or IDEs that they favor / favor them. I'd say a lot of programming languages since the 1990s outside of these few do have a sort of "natural preference" in their design and tooling for Linux. So Rust is not alone in this, but it is an example where it is a little bit more at home on Linux than perhaps elsewhere. But not strongly.

 

Secondly, by the nature of Rust's design, it does do well to provide an on-ramp and safety net for delving into more low-level concepts for programmers not familiar with them. Speaking for myself, when I learned Rust, I found it provided high-level abstractions that made it a lot easier to mess around with things like FFI, inline assembly, syscalls, and the like, things that were not supported in languages such as JavaScript or Python. Before Rust, the solution would be to learn C or C++ in order to get into that level of programming, which could be a turn-off, while Rust seems a bit more inviting.

 

While I was always interested in the entire stack of computers from low level to app level, when I did learn Rust, I found myself becoming more interested in lower level programming areas, whereas before I mostly just did web development. Additionally, since Rust is being adopted by the Linux kernel project, it could be a viable way to learn more about kernel development if C is a bit too intimidating or uncomfortable for you. This aspect is unique to Rust's current position, as the only other language to ever be incorporated into Linux aside from the original choice of C.

 

I think learning Rust is a good choice if you want to learn something that is both useful for writing software, but also will teach you a bit more of the "computer sciencey" side of things.

 

Source: I've been writing Rust code for 10 years. I picked it up shortly before the v1.0 release.

[apoyusiken]

1 hour ago, smcoakley said:

There's some nuance to that.

 

Some languages like C# and Swift have a strong preference for a specific operating system. there's definitely a connection between learning those languages and using the operating systems or IDEs that they favor / favor them. I'd say a lot of programming languages since the 1990s outside of these few do have a sort of "natural preference" in their design and tooling for Linux. So Rust is not alone in this, but it is an example where it is a little bit more at home on Linux than perhaps elsewhere. But not strongly.

 

Secondly, by the nature of Rust's design, it does do well to provide an on-ramp and safety net for delving into more low-level concepts for programmers not familiar with them. Speaking for myself, when I learned Rust, I found it provided high-level abstractions that made it a lot easier to mess around with things like FFI, inline assembly, syscalls, and the like, things that were not supported in languages such as JavaScript or Python. Before Rust, the solution would be to learn C or C++ in order to get into that level of programming, which could be a turn-off, while Rust seems a bit more inviting.

 

While I was always interested in the entire stack of computers from low level to app level, when I did learn Rust, I found myself becoming more interested in lower level programming areas, whereas before I mostly just did web development. Additionally, since Rust is being adopted by the Linux kernel project, it could be a viable way to learn more about kernel development if C is a bit too intimidating or uncomfortable for you. This aspect is unique to Rust's current position, as the only other language to ever be incorporated into Linux aside from the original choice of C.

 

I think learning Rust is a good choice if you want to learn something that is both useful for writing software, but also will teach you a bit more of the "computer sciencey" side of things.

 

Source: I've been writing Rust code for 10 years. I picked it up shortly before the v1.0 release.

its not that c is intimidating, but since its lacking some functionality is it a good idea to use that? I mean if you make your own libraries at some point it will become c++ or if you use external libraries or smt i dont really know how you roll with it. Its like you wouldnt want to use php or java in 2026 now (i just entered the new year.) 

 

So yea i dont wanna overthink this, i just wanted to see some opinions but yeah i will give it a shot why not.

[TheUninvited]

Here is a fact. Every programming language is a tool. Which one you use depends on what you want to do and why you want to use it.

I had a lot of fun learning C# as my first programming language. I think it was the best language for me to start with. Honestly, I would not say I have fully learned it yet, but I really enjoy the problem solving and the clear structure. I have seen how C++ works and, to me, it looks very messy. I do not feel that way about C# or Python, which I have only briefly looked at.

So, do you have to learn Rust? That is up to you.

If you like games, you could try Unity 3D with C#. I would bet it would be fun.

[apoyusiken]

10 hours ago, TheUninvited said:

Here is a fact. Every programming language is a tool. Which one you use depends on what you want to do and why you want to use it.

I had a lot of fun learning C# as my first programming language. I think it was the best language for me to start with. Honestly, I would not say I have fully learned it yet, but I really enjoy the problem solving and the clear structure. I have seen how C++ works and, to me, it looks very messy. I do not feel that way about C# or Python, which I have only briefly looked at.

So, do you have to learn Rust? That is up to you.

If you like games, you could try Unity 3D with C#. I would bet it would be fun.

actually i wanna do some gamedev too and ive been doing some godot

[TheUninvited]

2 hours ago, apoyusiken said:

actually i wanna do some gamedev too and ive been doing some godot

Okay, how do you feel about Godot? If you feel good using it, that is the key. It also depends on your personal preference.

 

On the other hand, Unity3D is quite straightforward. It usually uses a Start function and an Update function. The Start function runs once at the beginning, and the Update function runs repeatedly over time. This means you can make things happen at regular intervals. For example, if you want to have a tall two meter blondie every few seconds, it is possible. j/k

 

Many people use Unity3D because it is simple to start with, but that does not mean it is easy. It still takes a lot of time and practice to learn properly. In the end, whatever works best for you is the right choice.

[apoyusiken]

9 hours ago, TheUninvited said:

Okay, how do you feel about Godot? If you feel good using it, that is the key. It also depends on your personal preference.

 

On the other hand, Unity3D is quite straightforward. It usually uses a Start function and an Update function. The Start function runs once at the beginning, and the Update function runs repeatedly over time. This means you can make things happen at regular intervals. For example, if you want to have a tall two meter blondie every few seconds, it is possible. j/k

 

Many people use Unity3D because it is simple to start with, but that does not mean it is easy. It still takes a lot of time and practice to learn properly. In the end, whatever works best for you is the right choice.

i want a tall two meter blondie all the seconds.

 

so i used unity before briefly but i didnt like it much, i could retry it but godot seems more convenient since  i do python

 

godot seems good so far but i havent advanced enough for it to be difficult yet i guess. I need some graphic designers to do proper gamedev

[kuva]

just know that if you learn rust you'll get an irresistible urge to rewrite the entire linux kernel in rust

[Sauron]

On 12/31/2025 at 7:56 PM, apoyusiken said:

thanks a lot. I guess you dont get the point abt linux tho? We need to go low level to understand the kernel and rust is good for that. 

Learning rust absolutely does not imply understanding kernel programming... if you want to do that you should read the kernel development documentation https://docs.kernel.org/

On 12/31/2025 at 9:19 PM, smcoakley said:

So Rust is not alone in this, but it is an example where it is a little bit more at home on Linux than perhaps elsewhere. But not strongly.

Arguably less so than others, they made a deliberate effort for the tooling to work well on all platforms whereas some other languages are a mess to get working on Windows without a dedicated IDE. I can't really think of much in Rust that doesn't work just as well in Windows.

On 12/31/2025 at 9:19 PM, smcoakley said:

Secondly, by the nature of Rust's design, it does do well to provide an on-ramp and safety net for delving into more low-level concepts for programmers not familiar with them. Speaking for myself, when I learned Rust, I found it provided high-level abstractions that made it a lot easier to mess around with things like FFI, inline assembly, syscalls, and the like, things that were not supported in languages such as JavaScript or Python. Before Rust, the solution would be to learn C or C++ in order to get into that level of programming, which could be a turn-off, while Rust seems a bit more inviting.

Sure, still doesn't really relate to using Linux. You can use Linux as an advanced user without knowing anything about programming beyond some shell scripting.

On 12/31/2025 at 9:19 PM, smcoakley said:

Additionally, since Rust is being adopted by the Linux kernel project, it could be a viable way to learn more about kernel development if C is a bit too intimidating or uncomfortable for you. This aspect is unique to Rust's current position, as the only other language to ever be incorporated into Linux aside from the original choice of C.

Yes, but again, it has nothing to do with learning to use Linux.

[apoyusiken]

30 minutes ago, Sauron said:

Learning rust absolutely does not imply understanding kernel programming... if you want to do that you should read the kernel development documentation https://docs.kernel.org/

Arguably less so than others, they made a deliberate effort for the tooling to work well on all platforms whereas some other languages are a mess to get working on Windows without a dedicated IDE. I can't really think of much in Rust that doesn't work just as well in Windows.

Sure, still doesn't really relate to using Linux. You can use Linux as an advanced user without knowing anything about programming beyond some shell scripting.

Yes, but again, it has nothing to do with learning to use Linux.

its just you need to know low level stuff hence alow level language? I know about garbace collection, memory, pointers and stuff but didnt really had to deal with them.

[Sauron]

13 hours ago, apoyusiken said:

its just you need to know low level stuff hence alow level language?

"low level stuff" is pretty broad you know... and you don't need to know "low level stuff" to use Linux. To develop Linux you need very specific "low level stuff" that doesn't come automatically with learning a language like Rust, but of course you need to know either Rust or C to contribute to Linux so if that's the goal then you should be familiar with one or the other (preferably both).

13 hours ago, apoyusiken said:

I know about garbace collection

Garbage collection would be considered a "high level" facility under most definitions. Rust doesn't use garbage collection but it also doesn't rely on you to handle memory directly since the compiler prevents memory unsafe code. C lets you do whatever you want with memory which also means it's entirely up to you to manage it.

[wasab]

Yeah, it is a cool language. Rust gives you a lot of power to handle low level stuff as well. This is call unsafe rust and if you wish, you can use it to bypass the borrow checker done by the compiler to enforce memory safety. You generally do not want to go in such territory. Stay in the safe rust land and use it as intended. 

[apoyusiken]

2 hours ago, wasab said:

Yeah, it is a cool language. Rust gives you a lot of power to handle low level stuff as well. This is call unsafe rust and if you wish, you can use it to bypass the borrow checker done by the compiler to enforce memory safety. You generally do not want to go in such territory. Stay in the safe rust land and use it as intended. 

yea i hear im not ever supposed to do that and ai does that.

 

 

[Franck]

On 1/6/2026 at 1:31 AM, apoyusiken said:

yea i hear im not ever supposed to do that and ai does that.

 

 

AI models for Rust are not there yet. Leave them some time to have more training data.

The training data is nowhere close to Python, JavaScript, Java, C, C++ and C#.

I am unaware of any language specific AI Model that you could run locally.

Even DeepSeek Coder which is pretty good has the best result with the language mentioned above

[smcoakley]

On 1/2/2026 at 3:24 PM, Sauron said:

Sure, still doesn't really relate to using Linux. You can use Linux as an advanced user without knowing anything about programming beyond some shell scripting.

True, its just a little unclear whether using Linux is being asked or Linux system programming is being asked. Still not sure. 

 

On 1/2/2026 at 3:56 PM, apoyusiken said:

its just you need to know low level stuff hence alow level language?

"low level" is an ambiguous term. Rust itself provides a high level of abstraction, meaning you are not required to understand hardware-level or compiler-level concepts in order to use it at all. But it is "low-level" in the sense that it provides access to hardware, assembly, and system APIs that other languages may not support. Not that you have to use any of that, but you can.

[OddOod]

On 12/30/2025 at 1:14 PM, apoyusiken said:

Should I learn Rust?

Sure, why not?