An Introduction to Rust

Introduction to Rust — Software Tidbit Rust Session #1

Have you been hearing about the Rust programming language and don’t know about its background, or simply want to understand why Rust has become so popular to developers?

This software tidbit session introduces the language’s progression, why Rust may be valuable for your next project, and how to get started exploring.

First, a bit of history to understand where Rust originated, and how it has evolved.

History & Background

It’s interesting that Rust has been around in concept for quite some time as of now and has evolved into a language with a strong (and somewhat unique) set of features.

Key Milestones

• 2006 — Graydon Hoare (software developer) created Rust as a personal project while working at Mozilla Research.
• 2009 — Mozilla officially sponsors the project.
• 2011 — The Rust compiler officially compiles itself.
• 2015 — Version 1.0-alpha in January 2015, and the official version 1.0 was presented in May 2015.
• 2021 — Formation of the Rust Foundation.
• 2023 — Rust reached version 1.66.1 as of January 10, 2023.

Features and benefits