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Ubuntu 26.10 Moves cp, mv & rm Over To Rust Coreutils For 100% Transition
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this post was submitted on 16 Sep 2026
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so in a few more versions we will get the basic shell utilities enshittified in Ubuntu? Maybe a monthly subscription to be able to rename files.
Why is this enshittification?
Some people don't like Rust language, its eco system and community and the MIT license at all. Combine them and replace core functionality of a popular distribution, that is enshittification for some. Even though the Rust programs are compatible.
I don't mind MIT license and even do like Rust. But my personal problem with this decision in Ubuntu is, that these Coreutils tools in Rust are not proven yet and finished with 100% bug for bug compatibility and feature parity. So this is a premture decision in Ubuntu for my taste.
I like MIT for libraries, not a huge fan of it for core OS utilities because it just means they'll be free to lock up features behind Ubuntu Pro or whatever it's called. Eugh.
I'm not sure what you mean by that. They can lock things up behind paywall, if the license is GPL too. As long as any source code of it is online available. Which it is for the Rust Utils, that's not in Canonicals hand. And if Canonical does make changes to their own version, then these are no longer compatible software with the GNU Utils. But the point is being compatible.
So I don't get the fear here.
GPL doesn't allow for closed source forks. MIT does. You can add extra features without removing compatibility, by adding new flags, etc. Though I do struggle to come up with what premium features cp, mv and rm in particular could be expanded with.
I don't think that is a problem. As long as the GNU tools behave as the original ones, that's okay. If someone wants to target Ubuntu extensions of the tools, they can. Also when did any Linux distribution anytime locked up their own version of MIT tools without sharing the source code?
It just feels like people are making up issues that aren't.
I mean RHEL has been kinda doing it with GPL for a few years. They share the code with you if you have a subscription, since they have to, but if you share it with anyone, they'll void your subscription contract. With MIT you can skip that scheme altogether and just make version closed source.
Like... Why else would they use MIT here? They could have just used GPL for the Rust coreutils.
Because GPL is not compatible with everything.
GPL for separate tools is compatible with everything. It only becomes an issue if you're shipping a custom version of a GPL tool.
If they tried that, other distro's can also fork it and add those exact features in for free..
Coreutils are being dropped in favour of "move fast and break things" model with Rust and permissive licenses that allows for corporations to pull the rug from under the users (and developers) and put subscription barriers on everything.
That has to be the absolute dumbest take ever.
Nothing about this suggests they will put "subscription barriers" on anything.
Stop scaremongering
There's lots of good reasons to use rust over C.
Even if it was GPL, since they developed the tools, they can still dual licence. It just means any third party contributions added to the GPL code couldn't be added back into the proprietary one. That's what GPL helps protect against.. It doesn't stop the original developers releasing a commercial version at all.
Not that there is any evidence they would.. If they were trying to achieve that, you wouldn't target coreutils (you'd target more profitable things, like a desktop environment, or drivers)
Buuut I mean, this is still a reversible decision, right?
I guess, so, yeah, but it's not gonna be Canonical who revert it.
Would it be Debian you mean? Or where does this decision come from?
I think it would come from moving to another distro.