In the Linux nucleus, the confrontation between developers using the Rust language and a team of Maintainers who oppose the introduction of additional programming languages is seen as an undesirable and risky complication of the code base.
The tension within the developer community first emerged in September last year when Microsoft engineer Vedson Almeida Filo departed from the “Rust for Linux” project due to “non-lactic disagreements” which he attributed to difficulties in communication with those with different goals.
In January 2025, the situation escalated further when a proposed abstraction allowing Rust devices to interact with the main dma API in the C language faced resistance from Linux Kernel Maintainer Christophe Helvig.
In a message on the Linux Kernel Mailing List, Helvig expressed strong opposition to introducing Rust code, stating “Do not force me to work with your trendy language. Multilingual project support poses challenges I do not wish to confront.”
Developers from the Rust for Linux project suggested creating abstractions in Rust, centrally supported in the rust/kernel directory. This proposal aimed to keep the C part of the kernel unchanged and use shared Rust abstractions instead of creating new C code bindings.
However, Helvig emphasized that each additional implementation of a new language significantly hinders the maintenance of the kernel as a unified project. He believes that Linux has thrived due to its lack of internal boundaries, and the addition of a new language disrupts this principle.
The Linux kernel received support for Rust code on October 3, 2022