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#1 Today 15:51:07

yurimodin
Member
Registered: 2025-06-09
Posts: 30  

Debian looking to switch to the non-GNU Rust based uutils

Does this mean anything for us and are there any plans to go full fork if it does????

https://youtu.be/pcHSQM1LKi4?si=wJqMLLuyc0nMiuhR

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#2 Today 16:36:37

Uityyy
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From: Central Texas
Registered: 2026-05-12
Posts: 11  
Website

Re: Debian looking to switch to the non-GNU Rust based uutils

I recommend reading the actual Debian mailing list discussion from the beginning
https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2 … 00315.html

The uutils lead posted on the uutils website that Debian was moving towards switching, and a GNU coreutils maintainer got concerned that a decision might have been made behind his back. The community quickly clarified that no such decision had been made; the uutils lead had simply posted misinformation.
.


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#3 Today 17:28:58

golinux
Administrator
Registered: 2016-11-25
Posts: 3,729  

Re: Debian looking to switch to the non-GNU Rust based uutils

Personally, I would not trust ANY assurance/statement coming from Debian and it concerns me that you would even consider accepting it at face value.

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#4 Today 17:55:22

blackhole
Member
Registered: 2020-03-16
Posts: 227  

Re: Debian looking to switch to the non-GNU Rust based uutils

Looking at the linked mailing list thread, even Theodore T'so has concerns about uutils and it's license.

This is what more should be concerned about. Unfortunately, if you raise such concerns, you're a conspiracy nut.

The are rewriting something which has essentially just worked, for decades in a "memory safe" language and the end result is a bug fest, with numerous CVEs.

I'm wondering if this will be the beginning of a new "rewrite in rust, and release under permissive licence" trend.

If Ubuntu are getting it, you can be certain that eventually Debian will too.

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#5 Today 18:49:32

EDX-0
Member
From: Guatemala
Registered: 2020-12-12
Posts: 250  

Re: Debian looking to switch to the non-GNU Rust based uutils

BSD utils are released under a permissive license (BSD), there are ports of those to linux and there are distros that use the BSD utils by default (chimaera linux), so on the part of "this component has been rewritten in rust under a permissive license" the point is moot, on the part of "this component rewritten in rust is immature, has plenty of bugs, cannot pass the gnu implementation testsuite and even has/had multiple CVEs" is a more accurate technical criticism of uutils.

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#6 Today 18:58:11

Uityyy
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From: Central Texas
Registered: 2026-05-12
Posts: 11  
Website

Re: Debian looking to switch to the non-GNU Rust based uutils

Its definitely concerning that the uutils creator thought he could just say, "Debian is also following Ubuntu's path toward making uutils the default" without consulting other Debian maintainers and then dismiss as "harassment" the question of where he got that notion.

That said, I really wish Lunduke (top link in thread) would read a bit more carefully because he gives the impression that "making uutils the default" is current official Deiban policy, which pretty much everyone in the mailing list discussion denied.


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#7 Today 19:21:05

golinux
Administrator
Registered: 2016-11-25
Posts: 3,729  

Re: Debian looking to switch to the non-GNU Rust based uutils

Why are you even touching Lunduke's nonsense and taking it seriously? You are all over the place and seem to have no guardrails and it concerns me that you will step in a big pile that will negatively impact Devuan. Please take it down a notch. You are not qualified to speak for or about Devuan in any way. Please try to find something to contribute to Devuan that will actually be useful . . .

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#8 Today 19:37:45

yurimodin
Member
Registered: 2025-06-09
Posts: 30  

Re: Debian looking to switch to the non-GNU Rust based uutils

My gut tells me that once uutils get "good enough" then RHEL & Ubuntu will implement them in ways that basically makes Linux go the way Android did with a locked down ecosystem etc.

Worst case scenario I guess is going to Slackware or whatever sticks with GNU and no SystemD

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#9 Today 19:45:54

Uityyy
Member
From: Central Texas
Registered: 2026-05-12
Posts: 11  
Website

Re: Debian looking to switch to the non-GNU Rust based uutils

Please take it down a notch.

- yurimodin started this thread with a link to a Lunduke video
- I linked to the actual Debian discussion and pointed out how Lunduke misrepresented it
- You responded with concerns that I was taking Debian assurances at face value
- I responded by saying that what was on Debian mailing list was concerning but that the way Lunduke misread it wasn't helpful either
- And then you responded out of the blue as if I were trying to agree with Lunduke and speak on behalf of Devuan.

Please, please be slower to jump to negativity!


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#10 Today 19:52:54

golinux
Administrator
Registered: 2016-11-25
Posts: 3,729  

Re: Debian looking to switch to the non-GNU Rust based uutils

Please, please focus on finding something useful to contribute to Devuan rather than flapping gums.  wink.

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#11 Today 20:08:41

blackhole
Member
Registered: 2020-03-16
Posts: 227  

Re: Debian looking to switch to the non-GNU Rust based uutils

EDX-0, you missed the point, then went off on a tangent.

They're rewriting in rust, and the replacements are permissive licensed, rather than GPL. There are those still in the GNU/Linux camp who aren't comfortable with that and would question the motives. This has nothing to do with the licence of similar utilities in any of the BSDs.

Also: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windo … s/overview

Last edited by blackhole (Today 20:09:49)

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#12 Today 20:24:04

JayneCobb
Member
Registered: 2025-08-18
Posts: 10  

Re: Debian looking to switch to the non-GNU Rust based uutils

I am with you on this Uityyy. I am not sure where the rudeness is coming from, sounds like someone has an issue with Bryan Lunduke.

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#13 Today 20:28:02

yurimodin
Member
Registered: 2025-06-09
Posts: 30  

Re: Debian looking to switch to the non-GNU Rust based uutils

I meant no ill will, I was just asking about something that seemed concerning.

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#14 Today 20:29:40

ovi
Member
Registered: 2026-03-29
Posts: 13  

Re: Debian looking to switch to the non-GNU Rust based uutils

Ubuntu: please, rust in peace!

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#15 Today 20:41:42

blackhole
Member
Registered: 2020-03-16
Posts: 227  

Re: Debian looking to switch to the non-GNU Rust based uutils

Anyone capable of thinking for themselves dismisses Lunduke's sensationalist clickbait crap...

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