this post was submitted on 31 Jan 2025
58 points (100.0% liked)
Rust
6288 readers
76 users here now
Welcome to the Rust community! This is a place to discuss about the Rust programming language.
Wormhole
Credits
- The icon is a modified version of the official rust logo (changing the colors to a gradient and black background)
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
Let us know when the borrow checker is optional so I can write it without hurting my brain.
lol just go write C instead
Maybe use zig then? It's unsafe (i.e. no borrow checker) and really fast.
But honestly, after learning good patterns, I rarely run into borrow checker issues.
If you use it long enough, the borrow checker will change your brain. Embrace the change, it will help you.
I am in the process of learning rust by creating software for my own use.
While the borrow checker feels like "fighting the compiler" at times (it took me a week before it started to land, and i have used my share of programming languages!), you will learn.
I compare this to the C world where you can have quite complex constructs with pointers and references. That used to be hard as hell as well. Until it clicks.
The only difference is that in C land, your software will segfault during runtime. In Rust your code will complain during compilation.
Rust without borrow checker is just a bad version of C in my opinion. Rust with borrow checker actually brings value.
In rust it is still possible to make circular references and cause memory leaks but it is very less likely.
So: i understand where you are coming from but give it a chance to land. I am glad I did.
The only thing which is bothering me at times is that the Rust community can come across as highly unfriendly/intolerant at times (comparable to the scala community, which in effect killed the adoption of scala).
The response to your comment should not have been burning it to the ground but to ask why the borrow checker does not click for you.
I can highly recommend the series "lets get rusty" on YT from Bogdan. He is explaining the main constructs in very easy to follow instructions videos.
Have a look and see if it makes it work for you!
There does exist a crate that allows you to turn it off. Unfortunately the compiler will still compiler your code assuming the same exclusive access rules imposed by the borrow checker, so any time you break the borrow checker rules you're basically guaranteed to segfault.
The rust compiler always assumes mutable pointers are exclusive. This is the crux of your issue with the borrow checker. If you don't make this assumption, then you can't automatically drop variables when they fall out of scope, thus the programmer would have to manually allocate memory.
You may prefer even then to allocate memory yourself, but if I was you I would just trust the rust compiler in its assumption that it can optimize programs much better when all pointers are exclusive, and learn to program in a compliant manner
Bait or not, I'm not sure why you're getting such a negative reaction. People are getting too sensitive!
Btw, do sanitizers hurt your brain too?
It's not because people are sensitive, it's because Rust gets a lot of dumb criticism and people are tired of it.
Yeah... I've written about this sensitivity before on Lemmy. :) I honestly think this platform is best for memes and agreeing with popular opinions. And that's fine I guess.
Isn't it already optional? Just put
unsafe
on everything?unsafe
does not disable the borrow checker. It does however give you abilities to circumvent it, namely by letting you dereference pointers, which are not subject to the borrow checker.OIC. I really need to start learning this language soon, or I won't be able to understand future memes and rants.