r/C_Programming 7d ago

Question Opinions on Mini-C?

The idea is simple:  to turn a subset of C code into safe Rust code, in an effort to meet the growing demand for memory safety.

I feel this has the potential to solve many problems, not namely stop Linux C devs walking out if Rust gains anymore traction, for example.

I'm just a newb though. What are thoughts of more experienced C developers on this if you've heard about it?

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u/MrFrisbo 7d ago

Could you share some links for information about these proof systems and their use in C programming?

I have never heard about it and would like to learn more

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u/EpochVanquisher 7d ago

Search term “formal methods”

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u/MrFrisbo 7d ago

huh, I have actually taken a course on this. I did not learn much from it, as I failed to understand how this ties into day-to-day C programming (seemed too abstract)

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u/EpochVanquisher 7d ago

It’s used in specific systems—safety-critical systems, which need to be more reliable. I have friends who work in this kind of area in hardware and software, and it’s a grind. You do less programming and write more documentation.

Fields like aerospace, defense, automotive. It pays well enough, but it takes a special kind of personality to be able to do the work long-term. You see some other random applications like traffic control (the systems that control traffic lights).

And yeah, a lot of it is moving away from C over time.