Rust! a week with awesomeness overloaded!
The last time I cared about what size my variable was, or, for that matter, what was the “Type” of the data I was trying to store or…
The last time I cared about what size my variable was, or, for that matter, what was the “Type” of the data I was trying to store or access — was at least a few years ago, when I was still writing in Java. But, the day I decided to start learning Rust, it all had to change.
Coming from Python, it is a culture shock, a very unsettling one. A rather very sophisticated emotion that makes anyone uncomfortable to the very core, not because you cannot do it, but because you are not conditioned to doing so. Python is the pinnacle of writing code with NO hindrances in what you write and how you write. There can be more than one way of doing something right. It is a world by itself.
And to step out of such an amazing “Comfort Zone” is such a horror. It is pretty apt to say, it feels suffocating. But when has learning anything as great as Rust been any easier? Here is my experience with Rust for one full week — it is not easy, but, yes it couldn’t be easier.
Top 5 things I loved about Rust -
- Community — Foundation of any great language doesn’t just lie with the features it provides, it lies with the people that use it, more so it depends on people who help each other and makes the community a stronger one. I have had many instances where I had dumb doubts, just as anyone else trying to learn a new language would have. I am just attaching one reference below! Officially rust is on Discord!
- Strong and feature-packed compiler and std library — The error messages (suggestions as well)compiler shows you — fix the code right on! Compilation couldn’t get easier. The easiest way to help anyone teach something is to point them where they are going wrong, in a very very constructive way. Rust compiler does the same and in a very very empowering way.
- Ownership and Borrowing — Although it has only been about a week, I can already feel the amazing power of this unique concept Rust has. It really feels amazing to not have a run time or a GC, a really amazing implementation.
- Great documentation — If there can be one reason why people understand Rust even a bit — then, it is because of such great documentation. Without which Rust would be just another rusty piece of software lingering around. And, the best part! there are so many examples you can learn from! To add to it, the authors of these docs have been very mindful of various backgrounds people come from, and have put their best effort to make every word as amicable as possible.
- Growing ecosystem — A vast part of the language, crates and everything else is still in a very nascent stage. This might seem to be a curse at the outset, but, this, in fact in the most modest way is a great blessing. When have we witnessed a miracle happening?
Top 3 tricky things with Rust
- It is not always easy to understand why it is the way it is. A simple try-throw-catch can be as complex as going through a ton of documentation.
- Future of the language is far promising than possible, but, jobs and career opportunities are still a rarety to find right on. Of course, how do we even know what does the future has in store for us?
- A world away from the world, that’s what Rust is. It doesn’t rephrase or reintroduce things differently, it is a totally new world. A world, build right from scratch to the top.
With that said, I look forward to working furthermore with Rust and implement a great many concepts and writing API’s in Rust!
A tryst with Rust awaits!