Re: newbie, Spark 2014 or Ada 2012

[Paul Rubin <no.email@nospam.invalid>]

nomadfate@gmail.com writes:
> I am not new to programming. .... I am more interested in
> micro-controller and electronic stuff. .. I guess my language choice
> is going to be Ada, C, or assembly for now. Java have Java ME for
> embedded systems and Python have Raspberry Pi system so Python and
> Java are still on my watch list.

For small embedded systems like the Arduino you are right, C is probably
the dominant choice (but it is terrible).  Ada is better than C in lots
of ways but I think the Ada toolchain for the Arduino is a bit
problematic.  For mid-sized (Cortex M) systems the Ada situation is
better and there are a few threads on this group about it.  C++ should
also be mentioned as an option, though it has many of the same problems
as C, and it's very complicated.  For hobby use you might also like
playing with Forth (amforth.sf.net) on your Arduino.

The Raspberry Pi is almost a desktop computer and I'd encourage you to
try out Python.  It's very quick and convenient though not as
"engineering" oriented as Ada.

I wouldn't bother with Java unless you have a clear need for it.  I
don't know if anyone still uses J2ME (it was popular in 1990s-era cell
phones).  Java itself tries to solve some of the same problems as Ada,
and is better in a few places, but worse in others, and its runtime is
much more bloated.