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Comment by nimbius | Hacker News Reader

sort of a selective use case here, but im an automotive mechanic that started learning python to track engine firmware, mileages, and tools at work. I always did this on a raspberry pi, partly because it makes doing computer stuff a bit more approachable than the ole black and beige dell laptop. We have windows desktops for the office area, but I never once considered using them for this.

Do people develop python in Windows? is there any distinct advantage? example: the pi costs $30 and a used keyboard/monitor from a pawn shop, but anything with windows is way more expensive.

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I’m a little confused by your first question. I’m going to guess you’re mostly used to interacting with Windows to browse the web, use Office, or other software specific to your business. In that case, yes, that same computer can be used to program python and people do it all the time. A computer is a computer.

Yes there are some advantages, but those aren’t Windows specific. The advantages also apply to traditional desktops/laptops running MacOS or Linux. There are tools written for those platforms that won’t be available on the pi, although the raspberry pi ecosystem is rich enough that that won’t matter much. There’s also the specs of the machine. A beefier machine can power multiple monitors that can let you see more code at a time. That’s just surface level. We can chat more if you’re interested.

Having said that, sounds like what you have right now is working for you. There’s no need to switch to something else if you’re making progress. It’s pretty cool that you got started this way. I wasn’t aware that python is used by car mechanics.

Yes, I've developed in Python on Windows. The pi is great little device (I have one) but it's also a pretty under-powered computer. Having a modern computer running Windows, Mac OS, or Linux is probably going to be a better experience.

If the pi works for you compared with buying a much more expensive rig, that's great. I was pretty impressed with the desktop experience on the Pi. But if you already have a more expensive computer, developing on the pi doesn't give any advantages. It's slow, it doesn't have much memory, it's storage is SD cards (both slow and prone to failure). Now deploying the result on the pi is great (you can put those anywhere, they're low power, etc).

As a Sysadmin, I would caution you on the Raspberry Pi as a critical device, unless you have a very strong backup regime. Pis tend to corrupt the SD card after a while, so make sure you have very good backups. I would make sure you have them daily, if not more often.

Former auto tech here- cheap used laptop is really preferable simply due to portability, python works with windows just fine. Plus, having a laptop in your box can replace multiple tools. I used AutoEnginuity as an OBD2 tool (expensive, but cheaper than snap-on), a Hantek USB oscilloscope, as well as having a convenient way to access Alldata manuals. Check Craigslist for a used laptop though, nothing you need requires a powerful computer and a shop environment will ruin most laptops eventually.

I use Windows in my office and I also develop Python software to accomplish some tasks related to my job. If I really had to save money, I might consider a Raspberry Pi, but they are less reliable (SD Card versus robust SSD) and are not as fast. Also, I need Microsoft Office for my job, so Windows makes the most sense all the way around.

If you are looking solely at Python software development, a faster, more reliable machine is always helpful, but some may prefer Linux or MacOS over Windows. All that said, the Pi is a great way to break into software development at a low cost.

If you are already using Windows and run into a solution for a problem you are trying to solve that uses Python. This is my use case, there are lots of useful tools and scripts that need Python to run.

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