alt Hacker NewsC and C++ are kind of losing out to Rust right now.
Take ladybird (last month blog; not that ladybird stands for all projects out there, of course; it is just an example):
https://ladybird.org/newsletter/2026-05-31/
"The HTML parser is now written in Rust" "The Rust parser is also about 10% faster than the C++ version it replaced,"
I am not saying this is a systematic analysis by far, but Rust is pushing into domains where C and C++ dominated in the past. And that seems to be a real push. To me it looks as if both C and C++ are standing to lose some ground in the next few years, directly to Rust. Perhaps even via snowball effect.
Replies
I agree about Rust gaining ground but using the argument that it got 10% faster due to Rust is not really that useful.
If they rewrote it in C++ again, they would have most likely got the same result because they got a chance to fix a design that might not have been most optimal.
C++'s module system, introduced in large part by Gabriel Dos Reis, was not a success, and many was critical of it even when he first proposed it. Rust does miles better on that general topic. Perhaps Gabriel was trash at doing good designs, or perhaps he made a mess on purpose.
C++ also does not have pattern matching, which is wildly popular in Rust.
Ladybird in the past used Swift apart from C++, but abandoned it. Swift has some peculiar issues, some of which might not be fixed over time. Ladybird's LLM-based conversion to Rust is interesting. I don't know much much unsafe the converted code has.
>"are kind of losing out to Rust right now"
On publicity side / propaganda / some specific areas you might have a point. Practically amount of C++ code being in active development (I wat to stress this particular point) dwarfs that of Rust despite all that high profile pressure.
Personally I consider languages as just a tool and do not get hung up when client prefers this or that and I have developed all kinds of software in many languages.
If asked for my own opinion - for general development I consider Rust very restrictive and poor expression-wise comparatively to C++, I think it is a case when developer become servant of a tool.
P.S. last sentence edited
> but Rust is pushing into domains where C and C++ dominated in the past.
I think it's also a big sign that the linux kernel adopted rust and not c++. (only for small parts but still)