Learn from Google and improve your journey to learn Rust faster

Hello, Rustaceans!

Welcome to this week's edition of the Rust Trends newsletter. We've curated a collection of insightful articles for you, overflowing with the latest updates and discoveries from the Rust programming landscape.

In this edition, we spotlight Google's recent exploration into Rust, debunking myths and confirming truths about the language. We also delve into the challenges and triumphs experienced by Google developers as they navigate Rust, from compiler speed to code quality.

So, prepare your favorite brew, settle in, and let's embark on this enlightening journey into the world of Rust!

Fast-Track Your Rust Skills: Google shatters 6-month learning myth

Google's recent exploration into Rust has debunked a major myth: Rust does not take more than six months to learn. In fact, developers can become productive in Rust in just two months or less, a timeline comparable to adopting other languages.

In the same study, Google confirmed a few truths and debunked other rumors about Rust. Slow build speeds were identified as the top challenge, confirming complaints about the Rust compiler's speed. However, the quality of Rust's compiler error messages and the high quality of Rust code were both confirmed, with over 85% of developers confident in their Rust code's correctness.

The study also revealed that the top challenges for Google developers using Rust were Macros, Ownership and borrowing, and Async programming, rather than writing unsafe code and handling C/C++ interop. These insights provide a more nuanced understanding of the Rust experience, helping both current and prospective Rust developers navigate the language more effectively.

To read the full article click here

Crate Mastery: Discover the websites every Rust programmer needs

The first website, Blessed.rs, offers an overview of popular and well-maintained Rust crates. It's a fantastic starting point for beginners, providing a curated list of reliable crates to explore and learn from.

Our second recommendation is Lib.rs, another excellent resource for discovering and evaluating Rust crates. This site provides crates sorted by category, new trending and popular, helping you make informed decisions about which crates to use in your projects.

We believe these resources will greatly assist you in navigating the Rust ecosystem, enhancing your understanding and efficiency.

Zero-cost abstractions

Rust's core principle of 'zero-cost abstractions' is a powerful concept that extends beyond programming. It is the idea that you can have high-level abstractions that make programming easier, without sacrificing the low-level control that is necessary for performance.

In Rust, iterators are a zero-cost abstraction. They allow you to work with sequences of elements in a high-level, abstract way, without sacrificing performance.

let sum = vec![1, 2, 3, 4].iter().sum();
println!("{}", sum); // Prints 10

In this code, we are using the iter() method to create an iterator over a vector, and the sum() method to add up the elements. This is a high-level, easy-to-read way of working with sequences, but it is also efficient: the Rust compiler can optimize this code to be as fast as the equivalent low-level loop.

One of the great benefits of Rust!

Do not hesitate to explore new possibilities in Rust. Pushing yourself out of your comfort zone can be a great way to learn and grow as a programmer.

Thanks for reading!
Bob Peters

Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn