System76 with Jeremy Soller

Jul 25, 2024

Jeremy Soller, Principal Engineer at System76 and mastermind behind the Rust-based Redox OS, shares his fascinating journey in low-level computing. He reveals the challenges of writing correct C code and how Rust transforms OS development. From kernel work to creating the COSMIC desktop, Jeremy emphasizes the advantages of Rust in refactoring and safety. He discusses System76's vertical integration approach and the importance of modular design in avoiding legacy pitfalls. Plus, he offers tips for newcomers looking to dive into OS and Rust contributions!

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INSIGHT

Rust Enabled Redox's Existence

Jeremy believes Redox wouldn't exist without Rust because C/C++ didn't offer the same safety and ergonomics for kernel development.
Assembly is fun but too slow; Rust hit the sweet spot between speed and safety for OS work.

INSIGHT

Type System Powers Safer Refactoring

Strong typing and the ability to create distinct new types in Rust prevent many class-of-bugs common in C/C++ like swapped argument errors.
Rust's type system and borrow rules enable safer refactoring and clearer ownership modeling across large codebases.

INSIGHT

Human Limits Make Memory Safety Hard

Skilled developers still produce memory-safety bugs in C due to human limits and massive system complexity.
Rust injects lower-level constraints to reduce whole classes of bugs that humans routinely miss.

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Many devs dream of one day writing their own operating system. Ideally in their favorite language: Rust. For many of us, this dream remains just that: a dream.

Jeremy Soller from System76, however, didn't just contribute kernel code for Pop!_OS, but also started his own operating system, RedoxOS, which is completely written in Rust. One might get the impression that he likes to tinker with low-level code!

In this episode of Rust in Production, Jeremy talks about his journey. From getting hired as a kernel developer at Denver-based company System76 after looking at the job ad for 1 month and finally applying, to being the maintainer of not one but two operating systems, additional system tools, and the Rust-based Cosmic desktop. We'll talk about why it's hard to write correct C code even for exceptional developers like Jeremy and why Rust is so great for refactoring and sharing code across different levels of abstraction.

About System76

From hardware all the way up to the UI, System76 pushes hard for vertical integration. The company has a strong following amongst Linux enthusiasts and is a big advocate for Rust. They use it across the stack for most (all?) of their major projects. Instead of GNOME or KDE, the Denver-based company even built their own user interface in Rust, called COSMIC.

About Jeremy Soller

Jeremy is a hardware and kernel hacker who has an intricate understanding of low-level computing. With Redox OS, an operating system fully written in Rust, he was one of the first developers who pushed the boundaries of what was possible with the still young language. The first release of Redox was in April 2015 when Rust hadn't even reached 1.0. By all means, Jeremy is a pioneer in the Rust community, an expert in low-level programming, and an advocate for robust, reliable systems programming.

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"Rust in Production" is a podcast by corrode, a company that helps teams adopt Rust. We offer training, consulting, and development services to help you succeed with Rust. If you want to learn more about how we can help you, please get in touch.