LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 Announced

[pepijndevos]

I seem to remember reading that the EV3 will have first-class support for real programming languages. Not just visual and not-quite ones. Can anyone confirm this, or maybe even point to the original info?

I'd loooove a GCC/LLVM backend to run anything from C to Rust to Javascript on this thing. It's just Linux, right?

It seems some people already have one?! Is that because you are a Lego Master something, signed an NDA, lucked out, or what?

[HaWe]

http://sourceforge.net/apps/phpbb/mindb ... 195#p16195

genuine machine code generated by a C compiler surely will be "lightyears" faster than bytecode for VMs!

[mightor]

It is indeed just an embedded system running Linux The trick is knowing how to interface with the hardware. Currently, we (the LMEP + MCP) are still waiting for LEGO to release the source code so we can start working on a library to allow us to do this from outside the VM.
There are currently plans for Java and Python and I am sure John will come up with something that will bridge the gap between BrixCC and the EV3

I have a working Python binary + standard libraries but no "glue" between it and the actual sensors and motors, so it's a little boring. I believe John has already ported several programming languages to the EV3, but again, no "glue", yet.

= Xander

LMEP = LEGO MINDSTORMS Expert Panel
MCP = MINDSTORMS Community Partner

[pepijndevos]

Wow so it basically runs everything!
I wonder if Numpy can be made to work, in that case Python might be fast enough to do some serious stuff.
I hope the ARM core does NEON instructions...
If it does LLVM, Rust would also be really interesting, or Emscripten?

Oh, so being in the LMEP or MCP is what gets you an EV3... How do I apply?

[mightor]

You don't apply, you get asked

= Xander

[HaWe]

but only if you're already sort of registered Lego-VIP, don't you?

[mightor]

but only if you're already sort of registered Lego-VIP, don't you?

Nah, most people who get invited are very active the in the community. They contribute through the software they make, the models they create or the blogs they maintain. MCPs are kind of like ambassadors for the MINDSTORMS theme. The LMEP were a subset of 12 MCPs that were asked to collaborate with LEGO for the development of the EV3 platform.

The best way to get noticed is to do cool stuff and write about it. That is how most of us in the MCP programme got in.

= Xander

[HaWe]

MCP ? what's MCP ?

most people who get invited are very active the in the community. They contribute through the software they make, the models they create or the blogs they maintain.

That's all I'm already doing, but got no invitation though.
Now I find that very strange.

[inxt-generation]

Well no one invited me.

Do they still have the JMCP? I thought you applied for that... Or not.

[mightor]

I am not aware of the Junior MCP programme, no.

= Xander