[sdiy] Programming Language Recommendation

[MTG]

I agree that something simpler than STM32 is a good starting point. 
There are many, many projects based on the Atmel AVR line (Arduino nano 
being one).  The Arduino framework might be a good start, then go bare 
metal to understand how a micro boots, etc. I would recommend eventually 
getting to the point of using a proper debugger (for breakpoints, etc). 
I'm stunned at how some folks have the most beautiful editors and use 
only printf for debugging?!

I am learning STM32 now and it's surprisingly daunting, but that's due 
in part because of the sheer number of toolchains available. Each seems 
to have it's own abstraction layer(s). I'll probably get this wrong, but 
I've seen gcc with libopencm3, STM's own STM32Cube tools with their own 
LL and HAL, Keil which supports CMSIS and there are combinations of the 
above such as using STMs tools to generate starter code for Keil.  Then 
there's Rowley and Segger and IAR and ... who knows how many more.?

I'm the kind of guy that likes to know where every bit is going so I am 
taking it very slowly and I've been doing C for quite some time. Too 
long perhaps because the coding standards from the last millennium are 
quite different from modern practices.

As a reality check, there are those that only want to create quickly 
with minimal knowledge and it seems there is no shortage of platforms 
that will do that too. The mind boggles.


On 12/4/2020 11:05 AM, Gordonjcp wrote:
> On Fri, Dec 04, 2020 at 12:57:45PM -0500, Shawn Rakestraw wrote:
>> Spiros, if you were at about the same level with either C or Arduino, would
>> you say one is better to fully learn before the other? Thanks for
> Arduino is a framework, based on C with a certain amount of C++isms in it.
>
> It's not a language.
>
> If you are familiar with C, programming stuff for the Arduino framework is easy, and if you learn your way around the Arduino stuff you'll find C fairly easy once you realise it doesn't "hold your hand".
>