The number and diversity of programming languages out there today can seem confusing. With so many options how can you know which are the best ones? Well, it’s quite easy. You just look at the ones that most people are using.

In this case, that’s Python and C. As you already know, Zerynth supports both.

StackOverflow developer survey gives Python the title of “fastest-growing major programming language”:

“Python, the fastest-growing major programming language, has risen in the ranks of programming languages in our survey yet again, edging out Java this year and standing as the second most loved language (behind Rust).“

Honestly, we couldn’t be happier with these results. We know how overwhelming it can be to try and follow all the latest trends and programming languages. But with Python and C, embedded and IoT projects are a piece of cake.

Like this article on Code Infinite says:

“Python has been a growing programming language and it shows no signs of disappearing. You’ll find it in web applications, desktop apps, network servers, machine learning, media tools and more.”

The famous Tiobe Index also publish their results for 2019, and they’ve awarded C as “Programming Language of the Year 2019”. Here’s what they had to say on why they picked C:

“C excels when it is applied to small devices that are performance-critical. It is easy to learn and there is a C compiler available for every processor.”

Why is Python so popular?

Firstly, let’s take a look at Python. One of the most prominent reasons why Python is so popular is that it’s very easy to learn it. It has a clear syntax, it’s easy to read, and it’s easy to maintain. Also, it’s great for beginners, as people don’t need any prior programming knowledge to learn it.

Secondly, Python is a high-level language. Unlike machine languages, most of the work has already been done for you. For example, with a language like Python, you don’t need to worry about memory management.

Thirdly, Python is very efficient. You need fewer lines of code to accomplish something than let’s say in C++ or Java.

And all the complaints on how Python is slow are simply not relevant anymore. Development time is the factor that most companies are paying attention to, and the end-user really doesn’t care if something takes 0.01 of a second or 0.05 of a second.

This is why Python is the fastest-growing major programming language in the world.

Zerynth allows C/Python programming

As we’ve mentioned in the intro, Zerynth allows mixing Python and C, in the same project.

On one hand, Python is compiled to bytecode and executed by the Zerynth VM, independently of the target board. On the other hand, C is compiled to object code dependent on the target microcontroller instruction set. These two can coexist because, during the uplinking phase, Zerynth resolves any unresolved symbol from the C code and saves C function addresses in the bytecode.

This kind of “hybrid” programming is extremely useful in those scenarios where you need to write or you have already written performant low-level code for time-critical tasks, but you want to retain Python flexibility and readability for non-time critical sections.

Charting the rise of Python

In the last couple of years, Python has risen more than any other programming language. Every day, more and more developers are switching to Python and seeing the benefits.

Of course, since we support both Python and C/Python, Zerynth tools have gained more popularity as well. One good example of this is that Zerynth Studio became available for download straight from DesignSpark. This way, Zerynth tools were presented to a whole new community of developers.

Zerynth simplifies IoT development providing an easy and efficient way to program the most popular 32-bit microcontrollers in Python and connect them to the top Cloud infrastructures, with high-level standards of security. With headquarters in Pisa, Italy, and a global sales team, Zerynth is helping thousands of developers around the world to develop new IoT products and Industry 4.0 applications with reduced costs and improved time-to-market.

If you take a look at the image below, you’ll see that Python has had a steady position all through 2019, with only JavaScript above it.

This data comes from GitHut 2.0, where they have charted the popularity of different programming languages, based on the number of pull requests they have had on the website.

The rise of Python in previous years

We have previously written about the rise of Python on our blog, and you can check out both articles, if you want to see how this programming language has progressed over the years:

• The rise of Python for embedded systems
• The rise of Python for embedded systems continues

Get Started with Python and C/Python with Zerynth

If you’re a beginner, and you’re looking to get started with Python and C/Python programming, look no further that the Zerynth Academy. You’ll find plenty of tutorials that will teach you how to develop embedded and IoT solutions in Python with the Zerynth Stack.

Just take a look at this list of tutorials:

• WiFi Packet analyzer (aka WiFi Sniffer) using ESP32 and Python
• How to use Zerynth to program in Python for ESP8266
• Design Bluetooth BLE Applications in Python on ESP32 using Zerynth
• Create a LoRa network programmed in Python
• From sensor to the Cloud in just 15 lines of Python

Download Zerynth Studio

You can program 32-bit microcontrollers in Python and C/Python as well. All you need to do is download Zerynth Studio. It’s free to download and available for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS.