Patch "kbuild: rust: force `alloc` extern to allow "empty" Rust files" has been added to the 6.1-stable tree

If you, or anyone else, feels it should not be added to the stable tree, please let <[email protected]> know about it.

be fairly confusing for kernel developers [1], thus use the unstable force option of --extern [2] (added in Rust 1.71 [3]) to force the compiler to resolve alloc.

Quoted 3 lines · Sasha Levin

If you, or anyone else, feels it should not be added to the stable tree, please let <[email protected]> know about it.

I don't think it should be added since it requires upgrading the compiler to Rust 1.71 (from 1.62) at least, given:

Quoted 3 lines

be fairly confusing for kernel developers [1], thus use the unstable force option of --extern [2] (added in Rust 1.71 [3]) to force the compiler to resolve alloc.

Now, we have upgraded the compiler in the past (in 6.6 LTS), so it could be done, but the issue here was small enough (it should only really affect kernel developers if they happen to create a new file or similar) that it felt too minor to warrant it (especially since it would a bigger compiler jump this time, with more changes required too), so I asked for doing it only in 6.6 and 6.8 since those were straightforward:

   https://lore.kernel.org/stable/2024042909-whimsical-drapery-40d1@gregkh/

If someone is actually doing development in 6.1 LTS with Rust enabled, we may create bigger problems for them (even if it is just time used) by upgrading the compiler than what this fix fixes here (which is an issue they may not even care about or ever notice).