Rust Standard Library Locks: Overcoming Obstacles in Large Projects - Project Update

Explore a conference talk from RustConf 2021 that delves into the challenges and solutions for advancing large-scale projects in the Rust ecosystem. Learn about the obstacles faced by the Libs Team when implementing improvements to the standard library's locks, and discover strategies for overcoming project stagnation. Gain insights into breaking down complex problems, narrowing the scope of discussions, and implementing organizational changes to facilitate progress. Through the lens of Rust's unique features and safety guarantees, examine the intricacies of implementing mutual exclusion, handling movable objects, and ensuring safe usage patterns. Understand the impact of large changes on project momentum and the importance of taking smaller, manageable steps. Discover the concept of Major Change Proposals (MCPs) and how they can contribute to moving projects forward efficiently.

Intro
DEADLOCKED MARA BOS
I'M GOING TO TELL YOU A STORY
PROBLEMS
MUTUAL EXCLUSION
LOCK &MUT SOMETHING UNLOCK
IMPLEMENTENTING IS HARD
IN RUST, OBJECTS CAN BE MOVED
IN RUST, 'WRONG'USAGE MUST BE SAFE
DEADLOCKING IS SAFE
IN RUST, FORGETTING THINGS MUST BE SAFE
RUST IS NOTC
FITTING A C-SHAPED PEG INTO A RUST-SHAPED HOLE.
A SOLUTION
PARKING LOT
WHAT'S GOING ON?
IT'S A HUGE AMOUNT OF NEW CODE (new to std)
UNDOCUMENTED WINDOWS API?
TOO MANY THINGS TO DISCUSS AT ONCE
OUT OF ENERGY
LARGE CHANGES PUSH THINGS FORWARD EVEN WHEN THEY FAIL
STUCK
FAILED ATTEMPT BECOMES AN OBSTACLE
TINY STEPS
STABILITY GUARANTEES
MOVABLE MUTEXES
NEW O.S. PRIMITIVES
CONCLUSION
SMALLER CHUNKS ARE EASIER TO CHEW
MOVING FORWARD
PROCESS CHANGES?
MCPS: MAJOR CHANGE PROPOSALS
CONTRIBUTORS
KEEP MAKING SMALL STEPS