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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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Are there any things in Linux that need to be started over from scratch? (lemmy.ca)

submitted 11 months ago by sepulcher@lemmy.ca to c/linux@lemmy.ml

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I'm curious how software can be created and evolve over time. I'm afraid that at some point, we'll realize there are issues with the software we're using that can only be remedied by massive changes or a complete rewrite.

Are there any instances of this happening? Where something is designed with a flaw that doesn't get realized until much later, necessitating scrapping the whole thing and starting from scratch?

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[–] Khanzarate@lemmy.world -2 points 11 months ago (5 children)

The more the code is used, the faster it ought to be. A function for an OS kernel shouldn't be written in Python, but a calculator doesn't need to be written in assembly, that kind of thing.

I can't really speak for Rust myself but to explain the comment, the performance gains of a language closer to assembly can be worth the headache of dealing with unsafe and harder to debug languages.

Linux, for instance, uses some assembly for the parts of it that need to be blazing fast. Confirming assembly code as bug-free, no leaks, all that, is just worth the performance sometimes.

But yeah I dunno in what cases rust is faster than C/C++.

[–] sunbeam60@lemmy.one 13 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (2 children)

C/C++ isn’t really faster than Rust. That’s the attraction of Rust; safety AND speed.

Of course it also depends on the job.

https://benchmarksgame-team.pages.debian.net/benchmarksgame/box-plot-summary-charts.html

[–] 0x0@programming.dev 5 points 11 months ago (1 children)

C/C++ isn’t

You're talking about two languages, one is C, the other is C++. C++ is not a superset of C.

[–] sunbeam60@lemmy.one 2 points 11 months ago

Yes thank you. But my statement remains true nevertheless.

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