Stenobird

Episode

What's New in Rust 1.88 through 1.90

Podcast
Rustacean Station
Published
Jan 22, 2026
Duration seconds
4032
Processing state
processed
Canonical source
https://rustacean-station.org/episode/rust-1.88-1.89-1.90/
Audio
https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/audio.rustacean-station.org/file/rustacean-station/2026-01-22-rust-1.88-1.89-1.90.mp3
JSON
/v1/public/podcasts/rustacean-station/episodes/what-s-new-in-rust-1-88-through-1-90
Markdown
/podcast/rustacean-station/what-s-new-in-rust-1-88-through-1-90.md

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Summary

A deep dive into the language ergonomics and toolchain updates introduced in Rust versions 1.88 through 1.90. The discussion covers everything from new pattern matching syntax to changes in Cargo's behavior and x86 target features.

Topics

  • Rust Programming Language
  • Let Chains
  • Pattern Matching
  • Cargo Build Tool
  • x86 Architecture
  • WebAssembly
  • Software Toolchains
  • Compiler Lints

Highlights

  • Main idea: Let chains introduce a more ergonomic way to perform pattern matching and variable binding in a single logical expression
  • Practical takeaway: Use the new subtraction methods for unsigned integers to handle signed integer inputs with checked, saturating, or wrapping variants
  • Failure mode: Be aware of new lint rules regarding function signatures to ensure lifetimes are explicitly declared when they are not elided
  • Tooling update: Cargo's workspace publishing and testing behaviors have been refined to improve stability and output management
  • Low-level detail: New x86 target features like AVX-512 intrinsics provide more granular control for performance-critical assembly-level programming

Chapters

  1. 1:00 Introduction of Let Chains: An exploration of how let chains allow for more complex pattern matching and variable destructuring without increasing nesting levels.
  2. 11:40 Low-level Control and x86 Features: Discussing the use of naked functions for assembly control and the addition of new x86 target features like AVX-512.
  3. 32:20 New Lints for Lifetimes: A look at the new linting rules designed to make lifetime dependencies in function signatures more explicit and readable.
  4. 42:25 WebAssembly and ABI: Analyzing the necessity and implementation of ABIs within the WebAssembly ecosystem.
  5. 52:30 Linkers and Toolchain Internals: A discussion on LLD, the low-level linker, and the complexities of platform-specific build scripts.
  6. 1:02:05 Cargo Updates and Integer APIs: Reviewing changes to Cargo's testing behavior and the stabilization of new integer subtraction methods.