Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, has taken a firm step toward more robust software by becoming the first gold sponsor of the Trifecta Tech Foundation. With an annual donation of 40,000 euros, they will drive the development of system tools in the Rust language. The first major project will be ntpd-rs, a new time synchronization service that promises greater stability and fewer vulnerabilities. It is expected to be tested in 2026 and adopted as the default in 2027. 🚀
Rust: Canonical's bet for a more reliable system 🔒
The Rust language is characterized by its memory safety, avoiding common bugs like buffer overflows. ntpd-rs will replace the traditional NTP, offering more precise time synchronization that is resistant to attacks. Canonical has already migrated other critical components to Rust, such as the package manager and the kernel. This move aims to reduce the operating system's attack surface, improving reliability for servers and desktop machines. The transition will be gradual to avoid impacting current users.
Goodbye to lost seconds: the exact time will no longer be a myth ⏰
If your Ubuntu clock ever decided to jump five minutes ahead right before a meeting, this is for you. With ntpd-rs, Canonical promises your system will know what time it is without relying on planetary alignment. That said, don't expect miracles: if you're late for work, the blame will still be yours, not NTP's. At least now you'll have one less excuse to blame the software.