Python + Motion detection = Fweemote 30
jedie writes "After reading about different Wiimote hacks on Slashdot I decided to make a video with some demos of my motion-detection library. You can watch the video here. There's a link to the sourcecode (GPL) as well, but the demo is win32 only. It's basically a webcam and some software in python to track LEDs (preferrably IRs). In the demo video, you see the software (albeit badly because of the webcam's IR filter being removed) tracking two differently colored LEDs, so multiplayer is possible. The software can track multiple points easily, and when combined with IR-LEDs, it's easy to simulate one Wiimote (i.e. calculating the distance and angle between two IR-LEDs to determine where the remote is relative to the webcam). I want the code to get some publicity, because I don't have time to work on it (dissertation, blabla) but I don't want the code (however messy it is) to go to waste."
Re:If only (Score:1, Insightful)
Compare it to PHP on the infamous Language Shootout site and you'll see Python is better in every way:
http://shootout.alioth.debian.org/debian/benchmark.php?test=all&lang=python&lang2=php [debian.org]
The same site shows that for both speed and memory use, Python is really better than most other languages. It even beats plain C++/gcc and C# on string manipulations/regex thanks to the optimized standard libraries that it ships with. Best of all, compare the code for these benchmarks and tell me which you would rather maintain. The DNA-regex test is >1500 bytes of gzipped C# and about 300 bytes of python (and yes, the python uses less memory).
In short: write less code with duck typing and intuitive OO & syntax and still run quickly and don't use much memory. Python wins for quickly writing general apps and tools (the "glue" in larger suites).
Congrats (Score:3, Insightful)
"Betta step up yo game"