Rust Fundamentals, Part 2 Of 3

You’ve set up your Rust development environment and learned why Rust is transforming systems programming. Now it’s time to tackle the feature that makes Rust truly unique: ownership.

IS THIS FOR YOU?

• You are a developer with basic programming skills in a language like Python, JavaScript, C, C++, Pascal, Modula-2, Logo, Lisp, Forth, BASIC, Java, or Go
• You want to understand the ownership model that enables Rust’s memory safety guarantees
• You want to learn how borrowing and lifetimes work without being intimidated by the borrow checker
• You want practical experience with Rust’s core language constructs and data types
• You want to build a strong foundation before moving on to more advanced Rust concepts in Part 3

AFTER 60 MINUTES, YOU’LL:

• Develop a solid mental model of ownership, borrowing, and non-lexical lifetimes (NLL), making the borrow checker feel like a helpful guide rather than an obstacle
• Understand how Rust achieves memory safety without a garbage collector or manual memory management
• Gain confidence using Rust’s everyday building blocks, including loops, conditionals, and expression-oriented programming
• Learn the difference between String and &str, and know when to use each
• Model real-world data using structs and enums, the foundation of idiomatic Rust development
• Discover why Rust’s enums are considered one of the language’s most powerful features

With your environment ready and the “why” of Rust firmly in hand, it’s time to meet the feature that makes Rust, Rust.

We’ll revisit ownership and borrowing—not as abstract rules, but as the mechanism that allows Rust to guarantee memory safety without a garbage collector. You’ll see how the borrow checker works, why non-lexical lifetimes make it far more approachable than its reputation suggests, and how understanding these concepts unlocks the rest of the language.

From there, we’ll explore loops and conditionals, including Rust’s elegant expression-oriented style. We’ll tackle one of the most common stumbling blocks for newcomers—strings—and learn why Rust distinguishes between String and &str. Finally, we’ll dive into structs and enums, giving you the tools to model your own applications in a truly idiomatic Rust way.

By the end of this free session, you’ll have crossed the learning hurdle that stops many newcomers and be fully prepared for Part 3.

Bring your Part 1 setup; a willingness to think a little differently about code is the only other prerequisite.

YOUR INSTRUCTOR:

Pascal van Dam is a seasoned Linux and Kubernetes architect with expertise in cloud technologies. As a certified Linux Foundation trainer and IT Gilde Guru, he excels at making complex concepts accessible through his straightforward teaching approach. Drawing from extensive government and enterprise experience, Pascal bridges technical solutions with business value, helping professionals master essential skills quickly.

HOW TO JOIN THIS SESSION?

This live session is completely free! – A limited-time opportunity before they become exclusive to Living Open Source members.

Click here to enter the Zoom Session
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