I'm doing a project that is serial based and has to update a database when a barcode is being read. Which programming language has better tools for working with a MySQl database and Serial communication. I debating right now between python and realbasic.
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What may be noteworthy is that most barcode readers can act as a keyboard so chances are you won't need to write serial communication routines yourself... – ChristopheD Jun 27 '11 at 20:05
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By readers you mean scanners? – Marc Brigham Jun 27 '11 at 20:09
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@OMG Ponies I might as well try fortran if that's the case. lol – Marc Brigham Jun 27 '11 at 20:36
2 Answers
It's hard to imagine that Realbasic is a better choice than Python for any project.

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Haha you too huh? A co-worker of mine suggested it but and I started researching it. It seemed very hard to make a console program since it seems like a more of a desktop approach. – Marc Brigham Jun 27 '11 at 20:28
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What if you needed to develop a cross-platform desktop (i.e. non-browser) application ? – Alan B May 16 '12 at 13:31
Python is a general purpose language with tremendous community support and a "batteries-included" philosophy that leads to simple-designs that focus on the business problem at hand. It is a good choice for a wide variety of projects.
The only reasons not to choose Python would be:
- You (or your team) have greater experience in another general purpose language with good library and community support.
- You have a particular problem that is handled best by a specialty language that was written with that sort of problem in mind.
The only thing I know about RealBASIC is that I hadn't heard of it until now, so it's a lock that it doesn't have quite the community of Python. (Exhibit A: 60,000 Python questions on SO, only 49 RealBASIC questions.) And if it is a derivative of BASIC, it would be not be a specialty language.
Python seems a clear choice here, unless it means learning a new language, and you are proficient with RealBASIC.

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thank you for this. These are both languages that I am unfamiliar with. I know java and many web languages. Thank you for your answer and you will get the check button. :) – Marc Brigham Jun 27 '11 at 20:34