Question about C/C++ Safety and Kernel Development

Question about C/C++ Safety and Kernel Development

[juntz]

Subject: Question about C/C++ Safety and Kernel Development
Dear Mr. Torvalds,

As an amateur developer who is familiar with C language and C++ syntax, I have always been curious whether C or C++ could one day achieve the safety guarantees that Rust provides.

I have read about the challenges of kernel development and the recent adoption of Rust in certain areas of the Linux kernel. I understand that in 1992, the Linux project attempted to use C++ for kernel development but ultimately abandoned the idea.

I would like to ask: what are the fundamental technical reasons that prevent C++ from being used in Linux kernel development? Is it related to:

- The complexity of the language features?

- Runtime overhead?

- Or other technical constraints?

Additionally, what is your perspective on whether modern C++ (using a restricted subset without exceptions, RTTI, etc.) could potentially be considered for future kernel development?

Thank you for your time and for your immense contributions to the open-source community.

Best regards,

juntz