This week we welcome Scott Shawcroft (@tannewt) as our PyDev of the Week! Scott is the lead developer of CircuitPython, a variant of the Python programming language made for microcontrollers. If you’d like to see what else Scott is up to, his website is a good place to start. Let’s take a few moments to get to know Scott better!
Can you tell us a little about yourself (hobbies, education, etc):
I’m Scott, I graduated from the University of Washington in 2009 in Computer Engineering. Afterwards, I joined the Maps team at Google where I worked on rendering and styling of the map. I left in 2015 to do my own thing. I designed a modular flight controller system for racing quadcopters and learned about hardware at the same time. My hobbies include running, rock climbing, video gaming and thrift shopping for retro electronics (so I can put CircuitPython in them.)
Why did you start using Python?
I started using Python to make my first desktop application (Denu) back in 2004 or so. I first learned programming with PHP and websites. I wanted to move to programming the desktop and remember standing in a bookstore deciding between Perl and Python books. I picked Python for some reason and have never looked back.
What other programming languages do you know and which is your favorite?
As I said, I learned PHP first after wanting dynamic HTML. (This is before CSS and Javascript were really a thing.) I haven’t really touched PHP since then.
In school we did mostly Java with a small sampling of other languages. While I TAed the intro computer programming course I taught an optional section that taught the course in Python too. After buying a new MacBook Pro, I reverse engineered the Apple multitouch pad using Python and implemented a daemon for it in C in 2008. (It’s my Linux kernel claim to fame.)
I did Javascript at Google for an internship on GMail. Once I started full time at Google, I did C++ on servers. For my embedded work I primarily do C (even in CircuitPython).
It’s a bit tough to pick a favorite. Python is always a great start for scripting, prototyping and teaching. The newest versions of C and C++ are also really nice when you want to manage your own memory.
Thanks for doing the interview, Scott!
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