.NET programmer; is microframework "high-level" enough?
stej
I'm a C#/Web programmer & scripter. I work with high level languages like
C#, PowerShell, IronPython etc. most of my time.
I'd like to try something new.
Is it possible to start with microframework even without any knowledge about
circuits, microelectronics, voltage and such things? I've heard about
Arduino, which could be easy for newbies, but it has its own languagege and
I'm not able to compare what it offers and how it is compared to
microframework hardware.
Any suggestions, links, etc. appreciated.
Thx.
Mark
about circuits, microelectronics, voltage and such things?
Yes it is. I'm in the same boat -- I've been doing .NET development for
several years. Mostly business apps (ASP.NET and Compact Framework) with
some lower-level socket stuff mixed in. I have no background in electrical
engineering, but I was able to jump right in to Micro Framework and I've
really been enjoying it and learning quite a bit.
I suggest going to TinyCLR.com. This is GHI's site targeted to the
hobbyist/beginner. They have some inexpensive devices (FEZ Domino/Mini) that
are excellent for experimenting with MF. There are many components available
to play with that already have drivers written for them. They also have some
good "getting started" guides as well as an active community forum.
If you want to deal with very low-level I/O and start writing your own
device drivers, then you will definitely need to buy some books and start
developing your EE knowledge. But just to get started tinkering with MF, you
probably already have the knowledge you need. I believe one of Microsoft's
goals with this framework was to allow devs like you and I to quickly jump
into embedded development.
Get one of the FEZ devices and play around with it. From there, you can
decide where you want to go.
Mark
stej
I've just had a look at TinyCLR and what it offers. I have to admit that I
have only blur idea what the components can be used for. However, with FEZ
and some starting kit I probably wont make any mistake.
I'll tell my wife to buy it for my birthday :)
Please, if you know about any blog that goes from beginning to some advanced
topics, add it here.
stej
Mark
- Buy/download the book "Expert .NET Micro Framework".
- Subscribe to http://blogs.msdn.com/b/netmfteam. There are a series of
posts right now detailing the creation of a project from the perspective of a
.NET developer with little/no embedded experience.
The technology is still maturing and it seems the MF community is only just
starting to coalesce, so I'm sure more tutorials will surface as time goes by.
Mark