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>the Linux kernel is a key motivator for the project because there are a lot of kernel people who would prefer the kernel to be compiled only by the GNU toolchain.

Linux can already be compiled with clang if you want an all LLVM based toolchain. The duplicate effort of developing and maintaining this does not sound worth it to have GNU "purity."

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It's not about purity, it's about options. The ClangBuiltLinux community advocated that Linux should not be dependent upon a single compiler. But when Rust came along, suddenly many of the same people suddently decided that a single compiler was okay.

I always understood it as that they want control over "best practice".

A GNU compiler could add convenient feutures that the hardcore Rust users don't want other Rust users to be able to have.

Like ideological purity.

I think you may be misunderstanding here. They aren’t trying to keep the kennel GNU exclusive —— they merely want the option for a pre GNU toolchain.

What is a pre GNU toolchain?

They presumably mean "pure GNU toolchain", not "pre".

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