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When Poland's government announced plans for a national sovereign operating system, few expected a programming language twist. Enter Rdza (Polish for "rust"), a provocative macro that rewrites Rust's syntax into Polish—blurring lines between technical satire and cultural commentary.

Developed by GitHub user phaux, Rdza replaces Rust's English keywords with Polish equivalents:

  • fn becomes funkcja (function)
  • let becomes niech (let)
  • trait becomes cecha (trait)
  • panic! becomes kurwa! (a Polish expletive)
rdza::rdza! {
    cecha WartościPoKluczu {
        funkcja zapisz(&się, klucz: Ciąg, wartość: Ciąg);
        funkcja wczytaj(&się, klucz: Ciąg) -> Wynik<Opcja<&Ciąg>, Ciąg>;
    }
}

Example: Defining a trait (cecha) in Rdza. Ciąg = String, Wynik = Result, Opcja = Option.

The project explicitly jokes about being "the official language for Poland's sovereign OS," but its technical execution is serious. Rdza leverages Rust's declarative macro system to token-map keywords before compilation, maintaining full interoperability with English Rust. This means Polish and English code coexist in the same project—a deliberate design choice emphasizing practicality beneath the humor.

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Rdza's logo playfully incorporates Poland's national colors.

Regional dialects aren't ignored. The macro supports localized exclamations like jerōnie! (Silesian dialect) alongside the default kurwa!, acknowledging Poland's linguistic diversity. For workplace-friendly environments, panikuj! ("panic!") offers a SFW alternative.

Why This Matters Beyond Memes

  1. Macro Power: Demonstrates Rust's metaprogramming flexibility for syntax experimentation
  2. Localization Debate: Challenges English's dominance in tech while revealing complexities of keyword translation
  3. Sovereign Tech Satire: Parodies nationalist tech initiatives through executable code

Rdza joins similar projects like French rouille and German rost, forming a tongue-in-cheek movement questioning programming's linguistic assumptions. Licensed under the WTFPL, it invites contributions to expand its "Polish experience."

While unlikely to replace Rust in production, Rdza forces reflection: Could localized programming languages ease entry barriers? Or would fragmented syntax harm collaboration? As one contributor notes: "This is a joke... but the Polish government did announce an OS."

Explore Rdza on GitHub