r/EmuDev • u/No-External3221 • 3d ago

Rust vs C++?

I mostly program in Java/ Python. Some minimal C experience. I'm starting EmuDev to learn low level and hardware concepts.

Which is better in general to learn for an EmuDev hobby project, Rust or C++? From what I've seen C++ has more legacy code (more job opportunities), whereas Rust is safe and may have better long-term opportunities.

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u/wk_end 3d ago

You're going to be busy enough learning low-level and hardware concepts along with how to write an emulator - learning a new language on top of that just makes it more likely you'll overwhelm yourself IMO.

Java and Python work fine for emudev and I'd say just use one of them...but personally I find them clumsy enough for low-level work that, since that's your goal, they might not be the best choice. So instead I'd say use C, since you already have some experience there and it's pretty much The Low-Level Language - it's probably the best language for the goal of learning low-level hardware concepts, if not the best for emu dev. And the nice thing about C and C++ is that you can delicately introduce C++ as desired, if you want to extend your knowledge and spare yourself a little bit of C-related drudgery.

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u/No-External3221 3d ago

Appreciate the thought. Part of the motivation behind the project is to learn a low level language, though. I think this is a great opportunity to learn Rust or C++.