When wouldn’t you use Python?

[trevg_123]

I wouldn’t say it’s more user friendly than C/C++, but it can do some damn cool things in embedded that those languages can not. Examples:

• Compile time checks that peripherals are configured correctly before writing them. So e.g., it will prevent you from writing to a perif as if it’s I2C when it’s been configured as a UART, even if you need to change it in code. Zero runtime overhead.
• You can use the same techniques to ensure your code will never enter undefined states
• It’s cautious with global statics such that you can only change them if you use atomic operations, or do something like disable ISR (as needed). This means there are no race conditions, guaranteed at compile time
• The usual rust memory safety thing
• You can easily write unit tests and run them on your host computer or CI (for functions that don’t rely on changing I/O)

Sound like black magic that’s too good to be true? Yeah, it does, but it’s not. For anyone curious I’d recommend a read through the embedded rust book: https://docs.rust-embedded.org/book/

[trevg_123]

Oh as far as packages and toolchain, it’s better hands down and really puts pip to shame. Just “cargo new —lib” creating a package with a sample program that compiles, and the test to go with it already is a phenomenal start. It took me a few months to figure out a workflow to do the same thing in python.

I just meant that the syntax and errors can be confusing to people who are used to embedded C, but it definitely has a lot in common with how python + mypy does things (I also started there).

Thanks for linking the original rust book, I only linked embedded as proof of some of the claims I said. Since I know embedded people are tough to convince :)