# Question about long-standing issues **URL:** \ **Category:** policy\ **Created:** [July 12, 2025, 12:05pm UTC](https://internals.rust-lang.org/t/question-about-long-standing-issues/23220 "2025-07-12T12:05:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Evian-Zhang](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/internals.rust-lang.org/evian-zhang/32/12170_2.png) [@Evian-Zhang](https://internals.rust-lang.org/u/Evian-Zhang)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2025, 12:05pm UTC](https://internals.rust-lang.org/t/question-about-long-standing-issues/23220/1 "2025-07-12T12:05:31Z")
First of all, this post is not emotion-driven, and I am fully aware that the developers of Rust project work very hard. I'm not here to push anyone or blame anyone. There are two main types of issues in Rust project that I care most: - Bug issues - Tracking issues Although many issues can be quickly resolved, there are still so many long-standing issues. In terms of scale, those issues could be divided into two kinds: - Major issues that almost everyone care about - Minor issues **This post is about minor issues**. For issues that I have subscribed in recent years, the reasons of the long-standing situation of those minor issues can be roughly summarized as three kinds: - Knowledge-limited - Effort-limited - Discussion-limited Here are my questions: For these **long-standing minor issues** : - If it is knowledge-limited - If it is effort-limited - If it is discussion-limited - And for a long-standing issue, if I do not have ability to push it forward, how can I express that I care about this issue very much? Does the thumb reaction of the issues count? Does the subscription users number count? This is also related to the last question: - Is there any public docs about how issues are sorted for Rust core-devs to solve? ---
**Author:** ![pitaj](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/internals.rust-lang.org/pitaj/32/11262_2.png) [@pitaj](https://internals.rust-lang.org/u/pitaj)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2025, 1:00pm UTC](https://internals.rust-lang.org/t/question-about-long-standing-issues/23220/2 "2025-07-12T13:00:58Z")
Hey so for long-standing tracking issues specifically: of you find the API or whatever is very useful, one thing you can try is writing up a stabilization report. This can help move things forward, especially for relatively minor changes. > **[Stabilizing a feature - Standard library developers Guide](https://std-dev-guide.rust-lang.org/development/stabilization.html)** > > Guide for standard library developers ---
**Author:** ![pitaj](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/internals.rust-lang.org/pitaj/32/11262_2.png) [@pitaj](https://internals.rust-lang.org/u/pitaj)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2025, 1:06pm UTC](https://internals.rust-lang.org/t/question-about-long-standing-issues/23220/3 "2025-07-12T13:06:18Z")
Another thing that's always helpful is providing constructive feedback. If you encounter an ergonomic issue or if using the feature makes things significantly easier for you, report back. ---
**Author:** ![Evian-Zhang](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/internals.rust-lang.org/evian-zhang/32/12170_2.png) [@Evian-Zhang](https://internals.rust-lang.org/u/Evian-Zhang)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2025, 1:22pm UTC](https://internals.rust-lang.org/t/question-about-long-standing-issues/23220/4 "2025-07-12T13:22:31Z")
Thank you for your reply! > [@pitaj](#): > > if using the feature makes things significantly easier for you, report back. Is it better to report back in IRLO or directly in tracking issues? I used to share a use case in tracking issue, but got marked as off-topic ([here](https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/issues/63063#issuecomment-2676694187) (perhaps because this feature is not minor issue and this would spam a lot of people?)) ---
**Author:** ![carols10cents](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/internals.rust-lang.org/carols10cents/32/98_2.png) [@carols10cents](https://internals.rust-lang.org/u/carols10cents)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2025, 2:55pm UTC](https://internals.rust-lang.org/t/question-about-long-standing-issues/23220/5 "2025-07-12T14:55:10Z")
It seems like an assumption underlying your questions is that there are people who want to contribute to Rust, have the ability and the time, and are looking around for things to work on because they aren't finding enough to work on. I'm not sure that's the case. I think people involved with the project already have more they would like to make progress on than they have time to make progress on, so providing more awareness for particular issues won't actually change anything. Niko and others have been coordinating "project goals", and this is the process by which teams are deciding on and communicating about the high-level projects they're working on. I'd suggest starting with [the most recent project goal update blog post](https://blog.rust-lang.org/2025/06/20/may-project-goals-update/) and following links from there to learn about this process. ---
**Author:** ![danjl1100](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/internals.rust-lang.org/danjl1100/32/6466_2.png) [@danjl1100](https://internals.rust-lang.org/u/danjl1100)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2025, 5:27pm UTC](https://internals.rust-lang.org/t/question-about-long-standing-issues/23220/6 "2025-07-12T17:27:43Z")
As a consumer of Rust the language/tools (not (yet!) a contributor), I found the framing of this "Rust Is Not A Company" blog post very helpful: > **[Rust is not a Company](https://blog.m-ou.se/rust-is-not-a-company/)** > > Last year, as an occasional contributor to the Rust project, I did not think > much about the organisational structure of the team behind the project. I saw a > hierarchy of teams and groups, team leaders, etc. Just like any other > organisation. This... To quote a section from the end (without full context, see the link above for better context) > [@](#): > > Without people who have it as their personal goal to make something happen, things just don’t happen. > > And that is fine. > > There’s many things on everyone’s Rust wish list that are just not happening because nobody is working on it. We’re not a company with deadlines and milestones we need to reach. We’re a diverse and quickly changing group of people passionately making the things happen that we want to put effort in. ---
**Author:** ![Evian-Zhang](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/internals.rust-lang.org/evian-zhang/32/12170_2.png) [@Evian-Zhang](https://internals.rust-lang.org/u/Evian-Zhang)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2025, 11:33pm UTC](https://internals.rust-lang.org/t/question-about-long-standing-issues/23220/7 "2025-07-12T23:33:12Z")
Thank you for your reply! I totally agree that we should not push any more burden on Rust project developers since there are too many things. However, there may be some sort of convoy effects here. The Rust project goals main focus on the major issues I mentioned in the post. I'm not saying it's wrong. They are important and should be pushed forward in a higher priority. However, solving them is very hard, so it's almost impossible for the Rust core devs to solve those minor issues, which leads to more and more long-standing minor issues. On the contrary, the minor issues may not be so hard, so I think those are better to be solved by other people that are not so familiar with Rust compiler internal. As a result, I expect there would be some sorted lists of minor issues (just like the "help wanted" section in TWOR) ---
**Author:** ![carols10cents](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/internals.rust-lang.org/carols10cents/32/98_2.png) [@carols10cents](https://internals.rust-lang.org/u/carols10cents)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2025, 2:02am UTC](https://internals.rust-lang.org/t/question-about-long-standing-issues/23220/8 "2025-07-13T02:02:14Z")
> [@Evian-Zhang](#): > > On the contrary, the minor issues may not be so hard, so I think those are better to be solved by other people that are not so familiar with Rust compiler internal. As a result, I expect there would be some sorted lists of minor issues (just like the "help wanted" section in TWOR) I think the best way for these minor issues to get done, then, are for those people that care most about them to work on them! If you're looking at those issues and thinking "I have no idea how to do this"-- please ask for help, pointers, places to start! I think it's way more likely for an issue to get fixed if the person working on it is highly motivated, because yes, it's difficult (but doable, everyone starts somewhere). ---
**Author:** ![Ddystopia](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/internals.rust-lang.org/ddystopia/32/10915_2.png) [@Ddystopia](https://internals.rust-lang.org/u/Ddystopia)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 6:08am UTC](https://internals.rust-lang.org/t/question-about-long-standing-issues/23220/9 "2025-07-15T06:08:11Z")
Rust foundation should pay people to do work 🤷 ---
**Author:** ![carols10cents](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/internals.rust-lang.org/carols10cents/32/98_2.png) [@carols10cents](https://internals.rust-lang.org/u/carols10cents)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2025, 1:38am UTC](https://internals.rust-lang.org/t/question-about-long-standing-issues/23220/10 "2025-07-16T01:38:22Z")
They do! They employ people to work on [crates.io development and security](https://rustfoundation.org/security-initiative/), [infrastructure](https://rustfoundation.org/infrastructure/), and [Rust/C++ interoperability](https://rustfoundation.org/interop-initiative/). The Foundation also funds people to work on a variety of projects applied for through the [community grant program](https://rustfoundation.org/grants/). However, the work that could be done is ~infinite and the Foundation's money is unfortunately not 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Noratrieb](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/internals.rust-lang.org/noratrieb/32/12440_2.png) [@Noratrieb](https://internals.rust-lang.org/u/Noratrieb)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2025, 4:37am UTC](https://internals.rust-lang.org/t/question-about-long-standing-issues/23220/11 "2025-07-17T04:37:48Z")
It is very easy to say what should happen, and very hard to make things happen.