- Microsoft to implement the Rust programming language for the Windows 11 kernel.
- The new implementation should improve memory security and safety.
Microsoft says that the kernel for Windows 11 will soon get support for Rust. The announcement happened in late April during the BlueHat IL 2023 conference, where David Weston from Microsoft unveiled the progress the development team is making on integrating Rust in the system kernel.
Rust is an open-source programing language available on GitHub designed primarily to build operating systems, but it also works to build applications. This language is very popular among programmers since it offers syntax and performance similar to C++ and provides greater memory security without garbage collection.
The only caveat about the language is that it has a significant learning curve, but once the necessary skills are learned, it typically becomes the language of choice.
Although there are many benefits to using this system programing language, the primary reason why the company is making Rust part of the kernel is because of memory safety and security.
During the conference, the company unveiled that it had added over 35 thousand lines of code to the system without significant performance impact.
Microsoft isn’t saying when Rust will be fully implemented in the kernel of Windows 11, but it’s something that is expected to happen rather quickly in the next several weeks or months. You can watch the company’s presentation in this YouTube video.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].