For years, tech giant Microsoft (MSFT) ran on two specific coding languages, among others: C and C++ were widely used not only at Microsoft, but at coding operations the world over. But Microsoft is turning its back on the two letter languages in favor of a more modern alternative: Rust. The news was modestly pleasing to investors, who gave Microsoft a fractional boost in Tuesday afternoon’s trading.
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The plan is to modernize the code databases with the switch from C and C++ to Rust, and do so fairly rapidly, especially for a codebase that size. Parts of the Windows kernel have already been rewritten in Rust, reports note, and it hardly stops there. Microsoft Azure’s chief technology officer Mark Russinovich noted that it was already working on automated translation from C and C++ to rust using large language models.
Galen Hunt, a Volish distinguished engineer, noted, “My goal is to eliminate every line of C and C++ from Microsoft by 2030. Our strategy is to combine AI and Algorithms to rewrite Microsoft’s largest codebases. Our North Star is an engineer, a month, one a million lines of code. To accomplish this previously unimaginable task, we’ve built a powerful code processing infrastructure.”
A Growing Call to Return to Physical Media
Xbox gamers, meanwhile, are increasingly up in arms about their game libraries. Digital delivery has been remarkably convenient, but without those physical copies, gamers can basically lose access to the games they purchased at any given time. A simple mechanical glitch can do the job, let alone an outright Microsoft ban. When hackers get involved, the picture only gets worse.
Without physical media standing in the gap, a gamer can lose access to the games they purchased at any time, with Microsoft et al simply noting that the gamer did not actually purchase the game, but rather, the right to access it, which can be revoked at any time. Some have even gone so far to use this as a justification for piracy. The familiar aphorism goes “If buying isn’t owning, then pirating isn’t stealing.”
Is Microsoft a Buy, Hold or Sell?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Strong Buy consensus rating on MSFT stock based on 32 Buys and two Holds assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 10.38% rally in its share price over the past year, the average MSFT price target of $631.36 per share implies 29.79% upside potential.
