**Course Title:** Mastering Rust: From Basics to Systems Programming **Section Title:** Introduction to Rust and Setup **Topic:** Install Rust and create a simple Rust program.(Lab topic) **Overview:** In this lab topic, we will walk through the process of installing Rust and creating a simple Rust program. You'll learn how to install the Rust toolchain, set up your development environment, and write your first Rust program. **Installing Rust:** To install Rust, you'll need to download and install the Rust toolchain. The easiest way to do this is to use the `rustup` tool, which is Rust's official toolchain installer. Here are the steps to install Rust using `rustup`: 1. **Open a terminal or command prompt**: On Linux or macOS, you can use the built-in Terminal application. On Windows, you can use the Command Prompt or PowerShell. 2. **Download the `rustup` installer**: Go to the official Rust installation page at [https://www.rust-lang.org/tools/install](https://www.rust-lang.org/tools/install) and follow the instructions to download the `rustup` installer. 3. **Run the `rustup` installer**: Once the download is complete, run the `rustup` installer by executing the `rustup-init.exe` file on Windows or `./rustup-init` on Linux or macOS. 4. **Follow the installation prompts**: The `rustup` installer will guide you through the installation process. You'll be asked to choose a default Rust toolchain to install and whether you want to add the toolchain to your system's PATH. **Verifying the Installation:** Once the installation is complete, you can verify that Rust has been installed correctly by running the following command in your terminal or command prompt: ```bash rustc --version ``` This should output the version of the Rust compiler that you just installed. **Creating a Simple Rust Program:** Now that you have Rust installed, let's create a simple Rust program. Here's the code for a simple "Hello, World!" program: ```rust // hello.rs fn main() { println!("Hello, World!"); } ``` **Let's Break Down This Code:** * `fn main()` declares a new function called `main`. This is the entry point of the program. * `println!()` is a macro that prints its argument to the console. In this case, we're printing the string "Hello, World!". **Compiling and Running the Program:** To compile and run the program, navigate to the directory containing the `hello.rs` file and run the following command: ```bash rustc hello.rs ./hello ``` This will compile the program to an executable file called `hello` and then run it. You should see the output "Hello, World!" printed to the console. **What's Next:** In the next topic, we'll cover "Understanding ownership and borrowing rules." You'll learn about the basics of ownership and borrowing, and how to use them to write safe and efficient Rust code. **Practical Takeaway:** * Install the Rust toolchain using `rustup` to get started with Rust development. * Create a new Rust program by declaring a `main` function and using the `println!()` macro. * Compile and run the program using the `rustc` compiler. **External Resources:** * Rust Installation Guide: [https://www.rust-lang.org/tools/install](https://www.rust-lang.org/tools/install) * Rust Documentation: [https://doc.rust-lang.org/book/](https://doc.rust-lang.org/book/) * Rust Standard Library: [https://doc.rust-lang.org/std/](https://doc.rust-lang.org/std/) **Leave a Comment/Ask for Help:** If you have any questions or need help with installing Rust or writing your first Rust program, please leave a comment below. We'll be happy to help you get started with Rust development.