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Parlez vous Python?

I've been cutting code for decades.

The first code I ever wrote was in Signetics 2650 assembly which was then laboriously converted into hex codes for entry into my "state of the art" microprocessor system back in the late 1970s.

A year or two later I began programming in BASIC which was "the" ubiquitous language of the day for small microprocessor-based computers.

To be truthful, BASIC or assembly were just about the only choices available to early microprocessor tinkerers with other options such as COBOL, FORTRAN, etc., being limited to much more capable machines in the minicomputer and mainframe arena.

Things progressed pretty quickly in those years however, and it wasn't long before floppy disk drives enabled the use of true compilers for a growing range of languages such as Pascal, CBASIC and others.

So where are we at today, when it comes to the preferred programming languages for computers?

Well COBOL, once the undeniable champion of business programming languages, has fallen well and truly out of the spotlight, now being found only on a few legacy systems where gray-haired "old school" coders make a killing due to the (now) excusivity of their skills.

Even BASIC has all but disappeared as a language for software development and although *very* microcomputer used to come with a copy of MBASIC I probably couldn't find a copy today even if I tried.

Likewise, Pascal was once a mainstay for many applications developers. I know I wrote many megabytes of code in Pascal MT+ and Borland's TurboPascal was once perhaps the most popular compiler for the X86 platform.

I think an honourable mention must also go to dBase II, a higher-level language that was at the heart of countless bespoke software applications. Its highly integrated database management commands made creating business apps a piece of cake when compared to BASIC or Pascal.

As the years rolled by, many new languages appeared. Some are still with us, some are now just a memory.

The most influential and perhaps widely used language for many years is/was C and, once again, I've written a huge amount of code in this language. It's relatively simple to learn, can be compiled very efficiently and is perfectly suited to systems-level software. Most of the microcontroller stuff I've written has been done in C and, to be honest, this is perhaps my favourite language due to its simplicity, power and portability.

The arrival of the object-oriented programming paradigm saw C reinvented to become C++ but I'm afraid I never warmed to it. I have no problems with OOP but the actual C++ language is something I found to be awkward and cumbersome when compared to the simple elegance of C.

Java stormed onto the scene and I found myself much preferring this over C++ for OOP work -- in fact I even wrote a book for Prentice Hall on Java and it's the language I used for the custom news ticker that made 7am.com such a success back in the late 1990s.

These days I don't use Java much at all but I have started cutting more code with the derivative that is Kotlin when writing Android apps.

However, the language de jour these days is undoubtedly Python.

Again, I can't say I'm a huge fan of Python and consider it to be the BASIC of the 2020s. It's fine for "getting the job done" but it appears to be a language that is lacking in soul -- if there is such a thing.

I use Python, not by choice but out of necessity because it is ubiquitous and powerful.

My ADSB alarm is written mostly in Python but I am planning to write a version in C for the Raspberry Pi ZeroW.

To my surprise, I have found that Python can be used for system-level bit-banging on hardware such as the Raspberry Pi Pico and have already churned out a few applications for this hardware using it. For instance, the red and blue flashing LEDs on my "police drone" are controlled by a pico with about 15 lines of Python code and it took all of five minutes to write.

According to most of the surveys I've read of late, Python, Java and C/C++ are now the most oft-used languages these days so I guess my skills remain "up to date" if not particularly well honed any more.

I think the takeaway at the end of all this is that after almost half a century of programming, I still find it a fun, rewarding and challenging activity. The languages may change but the thrill remains the same.

Carpe Diem folks!

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