Why EV3 Python?

The Lego EV3 robot usually runs an operating system known as EV3-G in which programs are created using an icon-based method rather like Scratch. This way of programming has advantages and disadvantages:

Advantages:

• • Plugging blocks together means less typing so less risk of spelling and syntax (grammar) errors

  • The visual nature of the icons makes the programming clearer to non-English speakers than a textual programming language based on English would be

  • Some people may find the visual layout of loops etc to be clearer than a textual program would be

Disadvantages:

• • Professional programmers use textual programming so learning EV3-G is not the best way to prepare for a career in professional programming (also called coding)

• • Programs made with the icon-based EV3-G programming system may run more slowly than programs made with textual programming languages

  • The EV3-G system makes available a limited set of functions - additional functions will usually be available in a textual programming language

In any case, the standard method of programming the EV3 is to use the built-in programming system, EV3-G, so it certainly makes sense to master that before considering moving on to textual programming. Once a good level of mastery of EV3-G has been achieved it makes sense for motivated users to want to use textual programming to program their robot, and there are several options available:

EV3 Basic

I used to believe that the EV3 textual programming language that is the most easy to install and to learn is EV3 Basic. I have spent hundreds of hours working with EV3 Basic and made a website to promote it: ev3basic.com. But since I made that site it has become much easier to program the EV3 in Python (see below) and I now strongly recommend that you choose Python rather than Basic. Basic was originally designed for beginners but evolved over the years into a sophisticated form called Microsoft Visual Basic that is less easy for beginners to learn. Microsoft recognised this problem and released in 2008 a version of Basic that is once again simple and easy to learn: Microsoft Small Basic. Small Basic is designed to appeal to young people, with an emphasis on games and graphics. Adding the 'EV3 extension' converts Small Basic into EV3 Basic and allows it to work with the EV3 robot. Basic was one of the first programming languages to be created and many people feel that it has become outdated and that beginners should learn a more modern language. But Basic has always been quite popular - you can judge for yourself the relative popularity of different programming languages at Tiobe.com but be aware that there are different ways of measuring 'popularity' of course. An advantage of EV3 Basic is that it works directly with the unmodified EV3 brick whereas other textual languages require you either to modify the brick's firmware or prepare a microSD card that will contain an alternative operating system that will be used in place of the brick's firmware. Note that EV3 Basic runs only on Windows computers.

Python

Python is a modern, very powerful programming language that is concise, legible and thus easier to learn than most others such as C++ or Java and is therefore very popular in schools and universities. One thing that helps to make it easy to learn is that an advanced, rather difficult feature called 'object oriented programming' (OOP) is available but is not obligatory, so you can avoid it initially and then start using it when you're ready. See this Wikiversity article Why learn Python and this article Why Python might just be all you need. If you check Tiobe.com I think you will find that even though Java and C are ranked as more popular than Python these two languages are all tending to become less popular over the years while Python is gaining in popularity.

LeJos

LeJos allows you to use the Java programming language to program the EV3. Java is currently the most popular programming language in the world but is much more difficult to learn than Basic or Python so it is probably a good choice only for the most-motivated learners. Less well motivated learners could be put off programming forever by Java! Having said that, some people feel that although it is easier to write simple programs in Python, it is easier to write complex programs in Java! Join the discussion.

ROS

ROS (Robot Operating System) is specifically designed for robots. However, it is significantly harder to learn than EV3 Python or EV3 Basic. See HERE and HERE.

Other languages

Other textual programming languages can be used to program the EV3, such as C++ (running on the EV3dev operating system) but C++ is also much more difficult to learn than Python.

Conclusion: If you want to use a modern, powerful, easy-to-learn programming language, perhaps with the intention of becoming a professional programmer one day, then I recommend you use Python.

There are hundreds of programming languages out there and the following video places Python in fourth place "for jobs, for money, for building new things". The author, a software developer, puts Java, Javascript and C# (C Sharp) ahead of Python. But I've read that Java is so verbose that a Java program might be 3 or 4 times longer than a Python program that does the same thing!