GCC Rust – How it can be achieved

In conjunction with the recent announcement of the GNU tool chain implementation of Rust supported by Open Source Security, Inc. and Embecosm we want to outline how the project will move forward.

To create a trustworthy compiler it takes time, and with this support it provides a full time resource to work on the compiler driving the project forward. We want to be open and transparent on the progress with regular open status reports to the community with task tracking so it will be possible for interested parties to monitor the progress of the compiler.

The project has attracted multiple contributors on GitHub over its time being purely community driven and we want to continue to create an inclusive environment to welcome everyone to learn and create their own mark on the compiler. This can be achieved by creating clear documentation on getting up and running and readable code and a clean review process. Leveraging docker we can automate publishing prebuilt images of the compiler allowing people to test the compiler without requiring a development environment for the compiler, such that people can report feedback easily into the GitHub issue system.

Rust is complex and lacks a complete reference documentation for the language. However, Projects such as Chalk https://github.com/rust-lang/chalk have helped define the trait resolution process into logical rules which can be used as a benchmark. Existing open source test suites can be reused to ensure compatibility with the language and provide a complete test suite report with every weekly report. We can also continue the cross pollination of projects by working with the rust community to help find and fill in gaps in reference materials for the language.

There is a lot to be excited about for programmers looking to break into compilers and for the Rust community. To get involved you can find us on the usual Rust Zulip and GCC IRC channels, but we also have our own: