Think about how much we rely on software every single day. It’s in our homes, cars, and even our bodies. But what happens when the software that controls these systems fails? In 2019, two Boeing 737 Max airplanes crashed due to faulty software. These tragedies resulted in the loss of 346 lives. The financial and reputational costs were astronomical, reaching tens of billions of dollars.
This brings us to mission-critical software. These are systems that are essential for the functioning of businesses, governments and society itself. Even more critical is safety-critical software. This is where software failure poses a direct threat to human life or the environment. The Therac-25 radiation therapy machine is a stark reminder of these high stakes. Due to software errors, patients received lethal doses of radiation, leading to tragic loss of life.
Ensuring software safety is a complex and demanding task. We have rigorous standards and certification processes but these come with their own set of challenges. This is where Rust comes in. A programming language designed from the ground up with safety, performance, and reliability as its core principles. The recent release of qualified Rust toolchains by companies like Ferrous Systems and AdaCore has been a game-changer. This opens the door for Rust to be used in even the most demanding safety-critical domains. And we’re already seeing this adoption in action. Renault is a prime example, choosing Rust to build the software for their next generation of vehicles. Rust is rapidly gaining traction, poised to become the go-to language for building the critical systems of tomorrow.
I encourage you to explore Rust, learn about its capabilities and contribute to its growing ecosystem. Together, we can build a future where software failures are a thing of the past.
About the Author
Joshua Makuru Nomwesigwa is a seasoned Telecommunications Engineer with vast experience in IP Technologies; he eats, drinks, and dreams IP packets. He is a passionate evangelist of the forth industrial revolution (4IR) a.k.a Industry 4.0 and all the technologies that it brings; 5G, Cloud Computing, BigData, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Internet of Things (IoT), Quantum Computing, etc. Basically, anything techie because a normal life is boring.
