The Rust Mirage: When Safety Outweighs Simplicity

The siren song of Rust, with its promises of safety and performance, has lured many developers. But as the complexity of our software grows, are we paying too steep a price for this perceived perfection? I recently read an article, “I spent 18 months rebuilding my algorithmic trading platform in Rust. I’m filled with regret.,” and it resonated deeply with my own experiences.

The Cost of Complexity

Having been in this industry for decades, I’ve witnessed firsthand the insidious creep of complexity. It’s easy to underestimate its cost when you’re young and laser-focused, but as you gain experience, you realize that maintainability and understanding become paramount. I’ve returned to Go code after years away and found it remarkably easy to pick up. This is because Go’s creators prioritized simplicity, both in the language and its tooling.

The Feature Creep Trap

Rust, along with languages like Swift, often prioritizes safety and “perfection” at the expense of simplicity. This approach can be a trap. It reminds me of a pattern I’ve seen repeatedly in software development: the feature creep dilemma. Experienced users often clamor for new features, and developers, eager to please, add them. Each new feature might seem small on its own, but the cumulative effect…