As I understand it, the goal is for Rust to perform as well or better than C++ without the need for an unsafe mode. From the long discussions I've seen on the Rust mailing list, I think the likelihood of a "disable all checks" mode is nil.
Yes, idiomatic C++ which uses the safety features that C++ has to offer, as far as I understand. Not the raw performance that C++ can give you. Just wanted to point that out.
