Python Updates: MicroPython 1.13 and Testing Tools

MicroPython 1.13 Release

The latest MicroPython release introduces significant improvements for small-scale development:
• AsyncIO enhancements: The new uasyncio module is more consistent with CPython, supporting task objects for unbounded work queues.
• Formatting updates: The repository has been cleaned using Black for Python code and Uncrustify for C code.
• Bluetooth & Memory: A new Bluetooth module and a critical memory leak fix for ARM chips make it much more reliable for edge devices.
• Testing: Parallel test execution across multiple targets is now supported.

Testing Tools for Modern Python

Maintaining high-quality code requires efficient testing practices:
• Respx: A powerful utility designed to mock the HTTPX library, making it easy to test asynchronous code with PyTest or UnitTest.
• ISort Profiles: The new ISort 5 release includes a profile = black setting, which ensures that import sorting is perfectly compatible with the Black formatter.

Data Hazards and Tools

The Excel Problem

Scientific and financial data face constant risks when managed in Excel:

"27 human genes have been renamed all because Excel kept rereading them as symbols... as dates."

This highlights why researchers should transition to Pandas and Jupyter notebooks to prevent data corruption and costly errors.

Security Note

Developers are cautioned regarding where they execute Python:
• Never run Python in your downloads folder: A malicious file disguised as pip.py in that directory could be executed unintentionally due to how sys.path is populated.
• Usage of virtual environments remains the best defense against dependency conflicts.