> One way to approach this, is to actually enjoy this complexity because there is real theoretical computer science behind it. It's not complexity for its own sake.
Some people enjoy complex languages and some don't, and while the complexity in Rust does serve a purpose -- supporting the borrowing system and a design philosophy that is similar to C++'s -- there is "real theoretical computer science" behind any language design. The theory doesn't tell us which approach is good and which is bad, just what properties a language has. Some designs, usually on the more complex end, lead to many properties that are of interest to people who study those properties, and so there is some correlation between people interested in studying formal systems and people who prefer complex languages.
Some people enjoy complex languages and some don't, and while the complexity in Rust does serve a purpose -- supporting the borrowing system and a design philosophy that is similar to C++'s -- there is "real theoretical computer science" behind any language design. The theory doesn't tell us which approach is good and which is bad, just what properties a language has. Some designs, usually on the more complex end, lead to many properties that are of interest to people who study those properties, and so there is some correlation between people interested in studying formal systems and people who prefer complex languages.