I strongly disagree that Rust syntax is ugly, in absolute terms, even for the worst-case scenario presented in the article. Rust syntax is derived from a few very simple rules/concepts/themes. After observing how one set of operators/keywords combine, you should be able to make strong assumptions about how another set will combine.

Once the syntax sinks in, it's significantly easier to read than most other mainstream languages because there are significantly fewer rules/concepts/themes to comprehend.

As an extremely simple example, after learning what this does:

    let a = loop { break 1; };

you can bet the programmer can figure out what's going on here:

    let a = if true { 1 } else { 0 };

A language serves three purposes: it must be easy to write, it must be easy for a human to read, and it must be as unambiguous as possible (so that a computer can understand it). From a purely syntactical standpoint, Rust does great on all three. Most modern languages barely manage two.

* Form follows function. *