GoKawiilRust Language Team Details 'Beyond the &' Smart Pointer Redesign at RustConf 2026
At RustConf 2026, Rust language team lead Tyler Mandry presented a year-long effort called 'Beyond the &' aimed at giving user-defined smart pointers the same flexibility as built-in references. Mandry illustrated the current limitations with an example involving Rust's map-entry API and a shared cache, showing how code that works with built-in mutable references runs into borrowing restrictions with smart pointers.
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If adopted, the proposal could simplify how Rust developers reason about pointers and references, potentially reducing workarounds needed when using custom smart pointer types. Because this is an active design effort within the language team rather than a finalized feature, the eventual implementation and timeline remain uncertain.
- Tyler Mandry presented the 'Beyond the &' project at RustConf 2026.
- The initiative seeks to make user-defined smart pointers as capable as built-in references.
- The work has been underway through 2026 involving multiple language team members.
Source: lwn.net, 2026-10-20
Published there as: “Beyond the &”
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