First step towards learning Python

Hello Deepankar,

I agree almost completely with you but don't be too happy too early By certain point of view, Python is an incredible trap. In past I worked for a couple of years on large servers developing Zen-DB based CMS enhancements and applications with Plone. The entire core system of this CMS is based on Python and - but this is only a case - this wade me crazy. Python is easy to learn until you are approaching the bare high-level features of the language. That means that most of the dirty work has already been done by others, just like the simplicity to interact with hardware in environments like PiFace products, Raspberry PI and the other you mention, plus other too.

Still we should never forget that all this is possible thanks to strong c libraries and other low-level stuff that is already available, that is not a real property of the language itself, despite what is the perceived sensation.

Learning python is now becoming a necessasity if somebody want to create something innovative. Its easy learning curve and  good density of code has made it a favorate choice of many developers.

Not sure what you intend as "innovative" but IMHO to making innovation and not good language assembly it is needed again a strong knowledge of the old generations languages, i.e. C/C++ that are the basis for the availability of the python libraries.

What I appreciate of Python is its friendly approach to be managed in high level developments; I think it should be considered one of the better programming languages with a good abstraction level, friendly to integrate with totally different languages.

Enrico

I think there is  a problem with so many people learning Python as their first computer language. The level of abstraction is so high that they don't have a good understanding of what is really happening down at the silicon level.  Of course for some (maybe most ?) engineers/programmers that may not matter but we still need lots of people who do understand at the C, assembler or lower levels.

I'm always surprised that so many people find Python easy - my progression was though Dartmouth Basic (batch runs on remote computer), 803x assembler (on paper with hand entry of hex into programmer), 6800 assembler, Commodore PET Basic, Quick Basic on PC, C on more micros than I can count and then, bliss, VB (ultimately VB6 on Windows).

Mostly I do C on micros and VHDL on FPGAs now, hardly any PC stuff but I still use VB6 for quick test rig control and try to use Python.

I find Python very counter intuitive.

@Deepankar - thanks for the post - it reminds me that I must do more Python (but then I'd rather do Lua because my Keithley instruments talk Lua and it's small enough to embed on the ARM Cortex4 micros easily .................

MK

I'm always surprised that so many people find Python easy

I think that in addition to what I mentioned in my previous post, another element that makes the perception of python so "simple" is just how far it is from the siicon, just as you say. That is one of the worst things as in this way users has the illusion they are doing "electronics" (or, better, IoT) while they as only assembling pre-built bricks. I think that while there is an entire generation of ingenious engineers that do astonishing things with the Lego brick, hundred of other people think they are engineers because put these bricks together, without any knowledge how these bricks are done.

Enrico

@Michael Kellett @Enrico Miglino  I agree with you when you say that the ease of using has come at a cost and the cost is that you don't know the lower level stuff,Moreover apart from this the abstraction  also leads to  degradation of the performance  of the end product. However this hiding of complexity has been one of the big reasons for the great adaptation of Arduino platform and i see the similar thing going in favour of the boards using python. The impact it has made is that these things has made programming accessible to people(hobbies t and children) of lower age group too who don't have good experience with the intricacies going on at the lower level.

I also want to share about a video by another you tuber jullian where he shows that the abstraction in arduino has come at cost of degradation of performance

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@Michael Kellett whats there is Lua you mentioned,i have heard about it  in connection with ESP8266,what is it best at?

@Michael Kellett whats there is Lua you mentioned,i have heard about it  in connection with ESP8266,what is it best at?

Best simple description:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lua_%28programming_language%29

The nice thing about Lua is it's simplicity and small size which make it very suitable as an embedded scripting language.

For examples of how far this can be taken you could have a look at the reference manuals for Keithley's 26xx range of SMU instruments (if you are interested of course ).

MK

Lua is also used intensively by Mac OSX in several internal processes as it seems fast enough and good for managing complex scripting. But I am not an expert in this language, I have used it only one time for a specific set.

Enrico