Linus Torvalds Slams DMA Maintainer Over Rust in Kernel

Linus Torvalds and Christoph Hellwig, a DMA subsystem maintainer, clashed over the integration of Rust code into the Linux kernel. Hellwig objected to the use of his maintained code without his permission. Torvalds countered that maintainers are responsible for their code, but not for controlling its usage. He reiterated the modular approach to Rust in the kernel: developers can choose to use or ignore Rust code, but cannot prevent others from using it. The dispute highlights the ongoing debate around Rust adoption within the Linux kernel.