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MakeCode and CODAL: intuitive and efficient embedded systems programming for education

Authors:

Peli de Halleux,

Michał Moskal,

Steve HodgesAuthors Info & Claims

ACM SIGPLAN Notices, Volume 53, Issue 6

Pages 19 - 30

https://doi.org/10.1145/3299710.3211335

Published: 19 June 2018 Publication History

Abstract

Across the globe, it is now commonplace for educators to engage in the making (design and development) of embedded systems in the classroom to motivate and excite their students. This new domain brings its own set of unique requirements. Historically, embedded systems development requires knowledge of low-level programming languages, local installation of compilation toolchains, device drivers, and applications. For students and educators, these requirements can introduce insurmountable barriers.

We present the motivation, requirements, implementation, and evaluation of a new programming platform that enables novice users to create software for embedded systems. The platform has two major components: 1) Microsoft MakeCode (www.makecode.com), a web app that encapsulates an entire beginner IDE for microcontrollers; and 2) CODAL, an efficient component-oriented C++ runtime for microcontrollers. We show how MakeCode and CODAL provide an accessible, cross-platform, installation-free programming experience for the BBC micro:bit and other embedded devices.

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Cited By

Kraemer CGelder WHester J(2024)User-directed Assembly Code Transformations Enabling Efficient Batteryless Arduino ApplicationsProceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies10.1145/36595908:2(1-32)Online publication date: 15-May-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3659590
Sung CCherng FChiu YChen PChen B(2024)3CPEs: Concrete Computational Concepts Programming Environments for Elementary Computer Science EducationExtended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613905.3650833(1-7)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3613905.3650833
Englhardt ZLi RNissanka DZhang ZNarayanswamy GBreda JLiu XPatel SIyer V(2024)Exploring and Characterizing Large Language Models for Embedded System Development and DebuggingExtended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613905.3650764(1-9)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3613905.3650764
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Index Terms

MakeCode and CODAL: intuitive and efficient embedded systems programming for education
1. Software and its engineering
  1. Software notations and tools
    1. Compilers
      1. Runtime environments
    2. Development frameworks and environments
      1. Integrated and visual development environments
  2. Software organization and properties
    1. Software system structures
      1. Embedded software

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Information & Contributors

Information

Published In

cover image ACM SIGPLAN Notices

ACM SIGPLAN Notices Volume 53, Issue 6

LCTES '18

June 2018

112 pages

ISSN:0362-1340

EISSN:1558-1160

DOI:10.1145/3299710

Editor:
Matthew Fluet
Rodchester Institude of Technology

Issue’s Table of Contents

LCTES 2018: Proceedings of the 19th ACM SIGPLAN/SIGBED International Conference on Languages, Compilers, and Tools for Embedded Systems
June 2018
112 pages
ISBN:9781450358033
DOI:10.1145/3211332
General Chair:
Zheng Zhang
Rutgers University, USA
,
Program Chair:
Christophe Dubach
University of Edinburgh, UK

Copyright © 2018 Owner/Author.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License.

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Association for Computing Machinery

New York, NY, United States

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Badge change: Article originally badged under Version 1.0 guidelines https://www.acm.org/publications/policies/artifact-review-badging

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Published: 19 June 2018

Published in SIGPLAN Volume 53, Issue 6

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https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3659590
Sung CCherng FChiu YChen PChen B(2024)3CPEs: Concrete Computational Concepts Programming Environments for Elementary Computer Science EducationExtended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613905.3650833(1-7)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3613905.3650833
Englhardt ZLi RNissanka DZhang ZNarayanswamy GBreda JLiu XPatel SIyer V(2024)Exploring and Characterizing Large Language Models for Embedded System Development and DebuggingExtended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613905.3650764(1-9)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3613905.3650764
Cossovich RChang MFu ZGirouard AHodges S(2024)Co-Designing Accessible Computer and Smartphone Input Using Physical ComputingIEEE Pervasive Computing10.1109/MPRV.2024.341889923:3(39-48)Online publication date: 1-Jul-2024
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Hartley KFinney JHodges SDe Halleux PDevine JD'Amone G(2023)MakeDevice: Evolving Devices Beyond the Prototype with JacdacProceedings of the Seventeenth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction10.1145/3569009.3573106(1-7)Online publication date: 26-Feb-2023
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Kraemer CGuo AAhmed SHester J(2022)Battery-free MakeCodeProceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies10.1145/35172366:1(1-35)Online publication date: 29-Mar-2022
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