[Info-vax] Rust as a HS language, was: Re: Quiet?

[plugh]

On Wednesday, April 6, 2022 at 5:01:02 PM UTC-7, chris wrote:
> On 04/06/22 01:25, Dan Cross wrote: 
> > In article<jb43vk... at mid.individual.net>,
> > Bill Gunshannon<bill.gu... at gmail.com> wrote: 
> >> On 4/5/22 19:46, Arne Vajhøj wrote: 
> >>>
> >>> C and C++ are currently dominating the low level code area, but 
> >>> there are some well known problem. 
> >>> 
> >>> Two of those problems are: 
> >>> * buffer overruns 
> >>> * memory leaks 
> >>
> >> Both those problems were fixed 40 years ago. The fixes were 
> >> ignored and the company offering Safe C went out of business. 
> >
> > This is simply false. That there existed _one_ implementation 
> > that claimed to "fix" C 40 years ago does not mean that the 
> > problems with C were fixed. 
> > 
> > Moreover, buffer overruns and memory leaks are just two classes 
> > of problems that some implementations may have taken steps to 
> > fix. There are many, many others that more modern languages 
> > address: type incompatibilities, pointer safety, non-nullable 
> > reference types, well-defined ownership semantics, and many, 
> > many others. 
> > 
> > - Dan C. 
> > 
> 
> This sounds like medication to cure everyone from their sloppy 
> programming. The infantilisation of complex subjects, just to give the 
> lazy an easier time, while still getting the product built. 
> The answer to that is not languages that constrain movement, but 
> developing more professional skills and applying due diligence 
> and attention to detail to system design and implementation. 
> 
> I must be getting old, so what happened to pursuit of excellence 
> and more ?... 
> 
> Chris

It's a question of provability. No current C project can implement the kind of toolchain that duplicates the compiler's static analysis proofs. And we haven't gotten to its runtime proofs. When combined with its runtime guarantees, it is a significant step forward. 
The compiler is only one part of Rust's toolchain, but that's another story.

Here's a car analogy: do you want to change a tire using a power tool or good ol' muscles?

If by chance we see this language on VMS within our lifetimes, we should be prepared. We'd be unstoppable.