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by jkarneges 2963 days ago
Aside from the head start, I believe Go legitimately hits a sweet spot for developers wanting a language that's relatively easy to use yet also fast and fully compiled.

Rust on the other hand is targeted more towards developers that want C-like low-level control along with safety against shooting themselves in the foot.

The former audience is probably larger than the latter. But popularity isn't everything (JavaScript wins that contest ;)). The important thing is Rust is doing an amazing job in an area that hasn't seen much love.
2 comments
Retra 2963 days ago
Personally... I used to write Java and Python code (and enjoy it), but fairly straight forward code would just bog down on me. On the other hand, C and C++ code would always crash in frustrating ways.

Rust hits the sweet spot of not being a pain in my ass all the time.

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orthecreedence 2963 days ago
> C-like low-level control along with safety against shooting themselves in the foot

Yep, checking in. I want to write libraries that work on Windows, Linux, OSx, iOS, and Android that expose a C api but without having to write any C.

I know a bit of C, but not enough to feel like I can effectively use it to build the things I can build with Rust.

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jkarneges 2963 days ago
> I know a bit of C, but not enough to feel like I can effectively use it

I love what the Foreward [1] in the Rust Book has to say about this:

"Traditionally, this realm of programming is seen as arcane, accessible only to a select few who have devoted the necessary years learning to avoid its infamous pitfalls. And even those who practice it do so with caution, lest their code be open to exploits, crashes, or corruption.

Rust breaks down these barriers by eliminating the old pitfalls and providing a friendly, polished set of tools to help you along the way."

[1] https://doc.rust-lang.org/book/second-edition/foreword.html

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