Rating:
I’ve heard good things about Rust and wanted to know what it is about. This book seemed like the Rust Book since it is available for free online and many people contributed to it through its GitHub Repo. I started reading online and switched to the paperback once I was convinced it is worth a read.
After reading it back to back (except the last chapter), I think I have a good understanding of what Rust offers. The book feels a bit like a reference, working through the features of Rust, but there are also chapters where small programs are written and explained step by step. Still, overall I feel like the author wanted to cover as much as possible, leaving many small aspects explained but without examples.
This makes it difficult to judge the book: Does it want to be a language reference or an introduction? Probably a bit of both, with a tendency to the former:
- If you’re looking for a book to get started with Rust right away, I would suggest reading the first few chapters only and then gradually read on while you’re practicing.
- If you’re looking for a reference, this book is probably sufficient (although I can’t tell how much hasn’t been covered).
In comparison to the well-known K&R book, this book features fewer examples and details. Given that Rust is a much more complex language than C, I think it wouldn’t have been possible to go as far into the details (e.g. I didn’t find an operator precedence table) and provide as many examples. Otherwise, it would have been a massive book. But it does feel like they took some inspiration from K&R.
For me, the writing style was very understandable and that is also the book’s biggest strength. It really, really tries to get the reader to a point where he understands the concepts and doesn’t slip into a snooty jargon-heavy style of writing as seen in other “language books”. Only a very basic understanding of programming is required to get started, so it is beginner-friendly.
Of course, these are just my opinions. If you’re unsure whether to start the book or not, just give it a try in the free online version.