Simply am summarizing some of my findings with regards to Rust based on exploring OS and shell options in recent years. Linux does appear to be the optimal environment for development using Rust.

• Linux has UTF-8 efficiency in the core kernel (e.g. not fixed wide-chars).
• Rust 1.90 has lld on Linux, for build performance and ext4 has the edge over brtfs, NTFS (and ZFS, e.g. BSD)
• Linux kernel using Rust relatively aggressively.
• Rust FFI relatively robust on Linux

Last but not least, in the Linux world, known for more command shell use, nushell is available and has been maturing. Nushell scripts, and even commands, use a Rust paradigm. Nushell is written in Rust! It's easily arguable that nushell is the most exiting and revolutionary shell available. Nushell helps tame Linux and gives users, administrators, and developers, clearer and more logical control of Linux usage and management e.g. by using names for command I/O data fields. Like BusyBox, nushell has built-in versions (replacements or alternatives) of several Linux core utilities (however, it is also being modularized). Like uutils, nushell is a Rust update for traditional Linux GNU core utilities. And again, nushell is a great fit for Rust developers as it reinforces the Rust functional and type approaches.

Certainly, Rust is well usable on Windows, MacOS, (and FreeBSD). Linux has the edge.

Even in 2023: 2023 Annual Rust Survey Results | Rust Blog

...Linux being the most popular choice of Rust users...

Hope helpful. Not suggesting the need to change OSes to use Rust. However, for those who may already be weighing OS options for Rust development, Linux is absolutely a solid selection and it's the selection that I have made.

Others may have other opinions. Certainly not seeking a "best OS for Rust" debate, simply sharing my research and experience in seeking a platform for Rust. By all means, highlight other pluses of other OSes for Rust development. For me, a major aspect that I couldn't ignore, even if I prefer some aspects of Windows, is the performance aspect, that the Linux kernel uses UTF-8 and Windows use wide-chars. That settled it for me. At least we have more options that are viable in 2025 than in decades past. And Rust has excellent cross-platform support, which shows that Rust is intended to cover all the bases that C/C++ covers, including embedded systems. I.e. Rust is a serious and foundational industry tool set.

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