Ubuntu, one of the most popular and long-standing Linux distributions, is about to undergo one of the most significant transformations in its history. Canonical — the company behind Ubuntu — has confirmed that starting with version 25.10, the system will begin phasing out core components from the GNU Project, replacing them with modern alternatives written in the Rust programming language.
This move marks a radical shift not only in technology but also in ideology, signaling a potential departure from the GNU/Linux naming convention that has defined the open-source operating system landscape for over three decades.
Goodbye GNU Coreutils, Hello Rust
The change primarily affects coreutils — essential command-line tools like ls, cp, and rm — which have long been maintained by the GNU Project and written in C. Canonical plans to replace them with Rust-based alternatives, citing Rust’s strong memory safety guarantees, modern concurrency support, and superior performance.
Rust is designed from the ground up to eliminate common security vulnerabilities inherent in C, such as buffer overflows and memory access errors. During initial testing, some Rust-based replacements — such as the sort command — have shown performance gains of up to six times compared to their GNU counterparts.
To ease the transition, Canonical has introduced a tool called Oxidizer, which allows users to experiment with the new Rust-based utilities without losing access to the traditional GNU versions. The package can be installed via GitHub or Rust’s Cargo package manager, and allows gradual, reversible adoption of tools like coreutils, findutils, and diffutils.
Licensing Clash: MIT vs. GPL
Beyond the technical differences, the shift to Rust brings a major change in licensing. GNU software is licensed under the GPL (General Public License), which mandates that derivative works remain open and under the same terms. Rust-based utilities, however, typically adopt permissive licenses like MIT or Apache 2.0 — allowing proprietary modifications without obligation to open-source them.
This has sparked debate within the open-source community. Some see it as a threat to the ideals of software freedom, while others view it as a pragmatic step toward broader adoption and developer convenience.
A Broader Industry Trend
Ubuntu isn’t alone in embracing Rust. Since version 6.1, the Linux kernel itself has begun integrating Rust components, with Linus Torvalds giving his approval. Other distributions, including Fedora, have also expressed interest in Rust-based system components. This signals a larger industry shift toward rethinking the foundations of Linux.
If this transformation succeeds, Ubuntu may become the first widely used distribution to break away from the traditional GNU/Linux model. And if other distros follow suit, the term “GNU/Linux” could lose relevance as GNU components are replaced or rendered optional.
Innovation vs. Ideology
Canonical’s bold move raises a philosophical question: are users and developers ready to trade the longstanding principles of free software for improved performance, safety, and modularity? While some may welcome the innovation, others see it as a departure from the ethical foundations of open-source computing.
This isn’t just a technical upgrade — it’s a cultural pivot. By replacing key GNU utilities with Rust-based tools under permissive licenses, Canonical is redrawing the boundaries of what a Linux distribution can be.
Ubuntu’s transition represents a potential fork in the road for the entire Linux ecosystem. Whether this signals the beginning of a post-GNU era or just an optional evolution will depend on community adoption, long-term stability, and user trust.
What’s clear is this: if you install these new tools, you won’t just be upgrading your command-line utilities — you’ll be participating in a redefinition of the Linux experience itself.
