matt_trentini

Hey, that's me - if anyone has questions about that then you can ama!

Very soon you'll be able to mount a PC filesystem to appear on the device, so just make changes locally and they're reflected on the device. It's an exceptionally productive way to develop - I even prefer it to working with USB mass storage.

MicroPython has a javascript port that uses Emscripten:

https://github.com/micropython/micropython/tree/master/ports...

But it doesn't provide much more than the basic REPL.

You could also try MicroPython on Unicorn, where more of the hardware is simulated in the browser:

http://micropython.org/unicorn/ https://github.com/micropython/micropython-unicorn

The Unicron-MicroPython kernel is quite old but it's still useful for getting a feel for what's possible.

It used to be true that pycopy had some minor improvements over MicroPython's asyncio module. But, recently, the MicroPython asyncio module has been completely overhauled, most of the details are captured here:

https://github.com/micropython/micropython/pull/5332

(Though there have been some additional performance improvements since that was merged.)

The improvements to the old implementation are significant.

I am no longer interested in following pycopy's progress but I'd be shocked if the asyncio implementation was better. Happy to see measurements to suggest otherwise...

An alternative controller is the Reflow Master by the Unexpected Maker:

https://www.tindie.com/products/seonr/reflow-master/

US$89 on Tindie (just add Toaster+SSR!)

It's been used to reflow _thousands_ of boards including the majority of the TinyPICO's:

https://www.crowdsupply.com/unexpected-maker/tinypico/

I'm giving a talk [1] at PyCon AU in a few weeks on a similar topic. Though you're suggesting Python/C++ and I'm covering MicroPython/C.

The concept is to use MicroPython on embedded devices but, if performance is lacking, drop into C to create a module that can be easily accessed from MicroPython.

I've found this to be an exceptionally productive embedded development environment!

[1] https://2019.pycon-au.org/talks/extending-micropython-using-...

Of course, while 8MB of PSRAM is really nice, it's not necessary for MicroPython which can operate without any PSRAM - the onboard 520KB RAM on the ESP32 is fine.

It's also attracting a lot of attention in the MicroPython community; seems like this port will improve rapidly.

My recollection is that 'void main' is illegal and always has been according to all versions of the C++ standard.

(I'll check when I'm no longer on a phone unless someone beats me to it!)

Further, to confuse the issue, you don't have to explicitly return anything from main even if it's defined as 'int main'.

I was about to suggest the same; Micropython requires a little more flash/RAM (https://github.com/micropython/micropython/wiki/FAQ) than the authors goals but it's certainly no toy language despite the immature (but rapidly improving) tooling and libraries. I'm pushing to use it in more of my embedded projects - and have little desire to return to embedded C!

"or better performance"?

I'd like to see some evidence if you have any.

Rust has great performance in general - and I also agree that it is an appealing language - but I haven't heard anyone claim better than C++ performance before. I'd be very dubious of anyone making that claim...

The API, providing iOS, Android and Ruby bindings, was released a few weeks ago:

  http://blog.lifx.co/2014/03/24/announcing-the-lifx-api/

I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

So I presume the bolts and added welded plates were actually stronger than the originally specified welded joins?

In the interview with Bill LeMessurier it seemed the problem existed even with the original joins - the bolted joins just made the issue significantly worse...

I've lived in Australia all my life and can't say I share the same opinion. Racism, while clearly present (notably in some parts of QLD and generally outside of the "urban core" as Tloewald succinctly described), is pretty mild from what I've seen. And, in my experience, it's become less of a problem over the past couple of decades. I remember many more reports of race-related violence when I was young.

And within the major cities (especially Sydney and Melbourne) it's a remarkably tolerant environment especially considering the diversity of cultures. I'm often amazed looking around at people in the streets and see so many countries represented!

Then perhaps I'm biased. I'm a white male born and raised in Melbourne which is probably the most cosmopolitan city in Australia.

[I agree about the cost of living though; housing in particular is exorbitant!]

Well, the median wage in Australia was A$57,400 [1] and US$50,000 [2], both in 2011.

[1] http://mattcowgill.wordpress.com/2013/05/13/what-is-the-typi...

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Household_income_in_the_United...

Comfortable thumb reach? I don't think so.

If anything, I'd say it was chosen because the size 'feels' about right.

For me the SGS II is way too big; it doesn't fit in my pockets comfortably and it feels awkward when holding it to my ear.

There's a balance - bigger is better in terms of a touch interface but smaller is better in terms of convenience. Somewhere around 3.5" seems about the best compromise for a smartphone.

For me at least.