Transitioning Embedded Development from C++ to Elixir

Ben Murphy shares his experience of transitioning from a C++ developer to an Elixir developer within the context of embedded systems. The presentation outlines the initial challenges and learning curve associated with adopting Elixir in place of C/C++, a language traditionally preferred for firmware development due to its speed and efficiency. Murphy explains that while older embedded systems required the performance offered by C++, many modern systems can adequately run code written in other languages, including Elixir. Elixir proves to be compelling due to its advantageous abstractions, pattern matching, pipeline functionality, and a multi-threaded environment that doesn't compromise low-level system access. Furthermore, the shift in mindset to 'let it crash' and supervisors' role illustrates Elixir's resilience, promoting a model that encourages small fail-fast components in a supervised architecture. The built-in tools in Elixir allow developers to focus more on problem-solving and less on low-level implementation details. Despite some initial skepticism, Murphy eventually grew to appreciate Elixir's capabilities, especially in threading and binary pattern matching, and the support provided by tools like GenServers and the Elixir package manager Hex.