N15: Rust GPU

content/posts/newsletter-015/index.md

@@ -668,6 +668,48 @@ on the module's [repository][Proton-Media-Converter-Github]
 [Proton-Github]: https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton
 [Proton-Media-Converter-Github]: https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/tree/proton_5.13/media-converter
 
+### [Rust GPU][RustGPU-Github] v0.1
+
+![Rust GPU Sky](rustgpu.jpg)
+_Sky example in Rust GPU_
+
+Rust GPU is a project backed by [Embark Studios][RustGPU-Embark] to make Rust a
+first-class language and ecosystem for building GPU code.
+
+Although still in very early stages of development, [Rust GPU released v0.1 in
+October][RustGPU-Twitter], and has already garnered over 2000 stars on Github.
+There are also threads about it [on Hacker News][RustGPU-HackerNews] and
+[Reddit][RustGPU-Reddit]. Currently, compiling and running very simple shaders
+works, and a significant portion of the core library also compiles. However,
+many things aren't implemented yet: for example, while-loops and if-statements
+work, but for-loops, iterators, and match/switch aren't supported yet! That
+means that while being technically usable, Rust GPU is far from being
+production-ready.
+
+Here is a description of the project:
+
+> Historically in games, GPU programming has been done through writing either
+> HLSL, or to a lesser extent GLSL. These are simple programming languages that
+> have evolved along with rendering APIs over the years. However, as game engines
+> have evolved, these languages have failed to provide mechanisms for dealing with
+> large codebases, and have generally stayed behind the curve compared to other
+> programming languages.
+
+> In part this is because it's a niche language for a niche market, and in part
+> this has been because the industry as a whole has sunk quite a lot of time and
+> effort into the status quo. While over-all better alternatives to both languages
+> exist, none of them are in a place to replace HLSL or GLSL. Either because they
+> are vendor locked, or because they don't support the traditional graphics
+> pipeline. Examples of this include CUDA and OpenCL. And while attempts have been
+> made to create language in this space, none of them have gained any notable
+> traction in the gamedev community.
+
+[RustGPU-Github]: https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton
+[RustGPU-Twitter]: https://twitter.com/repi/status/1319274584915365888
+[RustGPU-HackerNews]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24858172
+[RustGPU-Reddit]: https://www.reddit.com/r/rust/comments/jg056t/introducing_rustgpu_v01_embarkstudiosrustgpu/
+[RustGPU-Embark]: https://www.embark-studios.com/
+
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