The key draw of running Node.js code in the embedded environment for me is that it works out of the box with all the web libraries that I'm already familiar with. With Node.js I can easily leverage existing modules to do things like make a device that responds to social media by accessing my Twitter account and when it sees a new tweet mentioning my company make a light flash or something like that.
I would hate to try to code such a program in C for connecting to the web. Sure I could definitely do it if I took a couple weeks off, but from what it looks like I'll be able to code that program in under an hour using the Node.js I already know and the libraries that the open source community has already developed.
Anyway, that's why I ordered a Tessel and am looking forward to developing with it. If it turns out that I really fall in love with embedded programming then sure I'll bust out the C compiler and learn the low level coding. But in the meantime I welcome the chance to learn about Node.js in a familiar environment where I can get stuff built quickly using a toolset I already know.
> I would hate to try to code such a program in C for connecting to the web.
Why would you want to connect a wall switch to the web in the first place? The Internet of Things doesn't necessarily have to mean the WWW of things.
For instance, you can always expose low-power devices through a low-overhead, low-power & short-range communication protocol to a <that-protocol-enabled> router. It also makes sense to have all of those devices configured from there (indeed, via a web interface exposed on the gateway) rather than having a web server on each of them.
For what it is worth this is one of the upcoming stretch goals:
nRF24 – low power wireless communication with mesh capabilities (good for tying lots of Tessels together without WiFi)
So one Tessel can be the web server to connect a cluster of Tessels communicating via nRF24 to the web. Or you could use one Tessel as the router to connect a bunch of nRF24 Arduino devices to the web.
I would hate to try to code such a program in C for connecting to the web. Sure I could definitely do it if I took a couple weeks off, but from what it looks like I'll be able to code that program in under an hour using the Node.js I already know and the libraries that the open source community has already developed.
Anyway, that's why I ordered a Tessel and am looking forward to developing with it. If it turns out that I really fall in love with embedded programming then sure I'll bust out the C compiler and learn the low level coding. But in the meantime I welcome the chance to learn about Node.js in a familiar environment where I can get stuff built quickly using a toolset I already know.