Hard Rust requirements from May onward

DRANK

To: debian-devel@lists.debian.orgCc: deity@lists.debian.org, debian-68k@lists.debian.org, debian-hppa@lists.debian.org, debian-superh@lists.debian.org, debian-alpha@lists.debian.orgSubject: Hard Rust requirements from May onwardFrom: Julian Andres Klode <jak@debian.org>Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2025 21:48:46 +0100Message-id: <[🔎] 20251031213541.GA73786@debian.org>Mail-followup-to: debian-devel@lists.debian.org, deity@lists.debian.org, debian-68k@lists.debian.org, debian-hppa@lists.debian.org, debian-superh@lists.debian.org, debian-alpha@lists.debian.orgHi all, I plan to introduce hard Rust dependencies and Rust code into APT, no earlier than May 2026. This extends at first to the Rust compiler and standard library, and the Sequoia ecosystem. In particular, our code to parse .deb, .ar, .tar, and the HTTP signature verification code would strongly benefit from memory safe languages and a stronger approach to unit testing. If you maintain a port without a working Rust toolchain, please ensure…