Talk

C & C++ vs. Python: The Rise of Scripting Languages

Peter McLaughlin

Watch Now

47:02

EOC 2022

Login to Watch

Peter McLaughlin

A registered Professional Engineer, Peter has led control software and hardware solution development through to commercialization in aerospace, nuclear, industrial gas turbine, and warehouse automation industries. Having learnt his trade at Rolls-Royce and Siemens, Peter was Director of Industrial Controls & Robotics Engineering at Symbotic Canada before launching Agmanic Vision. Originally British, Peter now lives in Quebec, Canada with his wife and daughters.

View full profile

Topics Covered

C C++Python Tools

Talk

C & C++ vs. Python: The Rise of Scripting Languages

Peter McLaughlin

47:02 EOC 2022

Peter McLaughlin

47:02

Python is the world's fastest growing programming language. It has become the most popular introductory teaching language for computer science courses and the number of Google searches for Python has trebled since 2010. Python's versatility has led to its adoption in web applications, desktop applications, data analytics, and artificial intelligence. In the Embedded System space, however, more than 70% of new systems are programmed in C with C++ strongly positioned as number two. Given the explosive growth of scripting languages such as Python, hiring C/C++ developers is becoming increasingly difficult. In this session, Peter McLaughlin will explore the pros and cons of scripting languages versus compiled languages in the embedded system space. Topics to be covered include: hardware constraints, library support, coding efficiency, readability, robustness, and real-time capability. Real-life examples of Python usage in Embedded Systems will be examined and future trends will be considered. Attendees will walk away armed with information to help them get started with Python and apply it in their next project.

1 / 5

Please log in or create an account to test your knowledge and see the answers.

According to Peter, what is the key difference between how Python and C/C++ handle types?

A Python variables are statically typed at declaration time just like in C/C++.

B In Python the objects themselves have no type; types are only attached to variable names.

C Python performs static type checking at build time because it compiles to bytecode.

D Python uses dynamically typed references (variable names have no fixed type) while the objects themselves have types that are checked at runtime.

E Python automatically coerces mismatched types (for example, 1 + '2') so you rarely see type errors.

Why does CPython typically run much slower than equivalent C/C++ code, according to the talk?

A Because Python lacks libraries and must reimplement many operations at runtime.

B Because CPython does significant runtime work — garbage collection, dynamic type inference, bounds checking — that C/C++ does at compile time or omits, adding large overhead.

C Because Python runs only on interpreted hardware that is inherently slower than hardware used for C/C++.

D Because Python forces network requests for many basic operations, which increases latency.

E Because Python's syntax is interpreted line-by-line and each line requires a full recompilation before execution.

When you need real-time behavior on embedded hardware but also want to use Python, which approach did Peter recommend?

A Run the RTOS for real-time tasks and use a hypervisor to run Linux (with CPython) alongside it so Python code can interact with the RTOS.

B Run full CPython directly on tiny microcontrollers like Microchip PICs because the REPL uses only about 10 MB of memory.

C Replace all real-time components with Python scripts to simplify development and avoid using an RTOS.

D Use PyPy on bare-metal microcontrollers to obtain both Python and hard real-time guarantees.

E Compile Python source to native machine code automatically and eliminate the need for an RTOS.

What practical advantage of Python's ecosystem did Peter emphasize compared with C/C++ for adding functionality quickly?

A The C++ ISO standard library already includes built-in database, UI, and networking so C++ has a centralized package manager like PyPI.

B Python has no standard library and relies entirely on third-party packages for basic tasks.

C Python ships with a large standard library and benefits from a centralized package index (PyPI) and pip, making it quick and easy to add many capabilities compared with C/C++.

D PyPI packages are typically proprietary and paid, which makes Python less usable than C/C++ libraries.

E Using Python requires manually downloading and building every library from source because there is no package manager.

Which summary best matches Peter's advice about using Cython and PyPy to speed Python code?

A PyPy always outperforms Cython and will give C/C++ level speed without any code changes.

B Cython can compile annotated Python to C for large speedups but requires source changes and generates large C stubs; PyPy uses a JIT to speed regular Python without code changes but usually not as much as Cython; for true C/C++ speed use C/C++.

C Cython requires no compilation and simply adds runtime optimizations to CPython.

D Cython produces concise, human-readable C code that is easy to step-through debug.

E The speaker recommended using only PyPy for embedded real-time code because it guarantees deterministic timing.

Formatting help

italics	surround text with asterisks
bold	surround text with two asterisks
hyperlink	[hyperlink](https://example.com) or just a bare URL
inline code	surround text with single `backticks`
code block (multi-line)	wrap on its own lines with three backticks: ``` your code here ```
~~strikethrough~~	surround text with ~~two tilde characters~~
quote	prefix with >

Upvotes Newest Oldest

nwaters

Score: 1 | 4 years ago | no reply

Great presentation. I really appreciated that this was an introduction to python tailored for folks with a C/C++ background. This helped solidify some fundamentals for me.

LeroyL

Score: 0 | 4 years ago | no reply

Nice intro to Python for embedded

Stephane.Boucher

Score: 0 | 4 years ago | no reply

Peter isn't available today for a live Q&A. Please use this forum to post your questions and comments and Peter should be able to respond fairly soon. Thanks!

Partners & Sponsors

Percepio

Edge Impulse

STMicroelectronics

Renesas

Amazon AWS

The Qt Company

NXP

TUXERA

XMOS

Timesys

Saleae

Become a Sponsor