Subject: RE: [PATCH v3 02/15] xdiff: introduce rust

From: <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 23 Aug 2025 11:06:10 -0400

On August 23, 2025 10:26 AM, Kristoffer Haugsbakk wrote:
>On Sat, Aug 23, 2025, at 15:43, [email-masked] wrote:
>> On August 22, 2025 11:56 PM, Ezekiel Newren wrote:
>>>From: Ezekiel Newren <[email-masked]>
>>>
>>>Upcoming patches will simplify xdiff, while also porting parts of it
>>>to Rust. In preparation, add some stubs and setup the Rust build. For
>>>now, it is easier to let cargo build rust and have make or meson
>>>merely link against the static library that cargo builds. In line with
>>>ongoing libification efforts, use multiple crates to allow more
>>>modularity on the Rust side. xdiff is the crate that this series will focus on, but we
>also introduce the interop crate for future patch series.
>>>
>>>In order to facilitate interoperability between C and Rust, introduce
>>>C definitions for Rust primitive types in git-compat-util.h.
>>>
>>>Signed-off-by: Ezekiel Newren <[email-masked]> [snip snip]
>>
>> Does this introduce Rust as a mandatory dependency for git? If so, it
>> cuts out numerous platforms.
>
>The proposed platform support policy is in patch 1.
>
>https://lore.kernel.org/git/6d065f550fe871cf010409f7bd2a63438cf52723.1755
>[email-masked]/

It is a very disappointing policy to be honest. It kicks me off git because Rust is
not available on my platform, representing tens of thousands of users in North
American alone. Rust is not available, but may be in a few years, but there is no
guarantee that the hardware vendor (HPE) will provide support. I previously
commented about the problem with Rust and was not taken seriously. This is
disappointing and exclusionary.

The assertion in the policy that Rust is easily interoperable is incorrect.

Not Thanks,
Randall