MicroPython made simple

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The title of this course is “Introduction to MicroPython using the Pyboard.” As you can see, there are two new terms involved – MicroPython and Pyboard. Let’s have a look at MicroPython first. The word MicroPython can be divided into Micro and Python. From this, it is obvious that MicroPython has got something to do with Python. So then, what exactly is Python?

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Python is an easy-to-learn, widely used, popular and expressive programming language.
And why is Python so popular? To the amazement of completely no one, Python managed to top various lists that are used to rank programming languages such as the TIOBE index and the PyPL index. The PYPL or Popularity of Programming Language Index is created by analyzing how often language tutorials are searched on Google. It ranked Python in the first place. The TIOBE Programming Community Index is an indicator of the popularity of programming languages. The index is updated once a month. The ratings are based on some factors like the number of skilled engineers world-wide, courses and third-party vendors. Popular search engines such as Google, Yahoo!, Bing, Wikipedia, Amazon, YouTube, and Baidu are used to calculate the ratings. The TIOBE index has ranked Python in third place. Now one of the reasons for Python’s popularity is that it is relatively easier to learn.

So, why is Python easy to learn? Learning Python is easier than learning other languages because it is easy to understand and has a very straightforward syntax. The best part about Python is that the code is very small compared to other programming languages. This fascinating language was developed by Guido van Rossum in the late 1980s. An interesting fact about Python is, it was named after the BBC show, “Monty Python's Flying Circus” and has nothing to do with the reptile by the same name.

Python is mainly a scripting language which is a programming language that supports scripts. Here scripts are programs written for a special run-time environment that automate the execution of tasks that could then again be executed one-by-one by a human operator. Scripting languages are often interpreted rather than compiled. In the electronics world, Python is used to program embedded systems like Raspberry Pi where an interpreter is running on the Raspbian operating system to execute the Python code which might not be possible in the case of Microcontrollers.

Now that we have understood what Python is all about.
Let's move on to MicroPython. MicroPython is nothing but Python for microcontrollers. It was developed by Damien P. George, who is a physicist by profession but is more interested in programming.

So why did Damien develop MicroPython? As technology improved, the level of abstraction increased, that is users were not expected to have in-depth knowledge about the technology they use. They just needed to know the basics to use it. For example, for using a mobile phone we need not know how the mobile phone functions on the hardware level or the operation of the backend software of the mobile phone. We just need to know the basics of how to use it. This same principle was implied in the development field where the developers were not expected to know how the compiler converts high-level language into a low-level language, in order to code a simple program for a specific application.

Abstraction is applied everywhere. For a long time now, C/C++ is being used to code microcontrollers like Arduino, MSP430, etc. This is tough for beginners because learning C or C++ is tough and boring. Meanwhile learning and implementing high-level languages was, is, and will be very easy.

Summary.
In this video, we saw what Python is, what MicroPython is, why MicroPython was built and why you should care about it. In the next video, we will get an overview of the Pyboard.

(If you liked this video and would like to buy our course, you are in for a pleasant surprise. Please click on the link below to buy the course for $25 ONLY. Original price is $195.

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