backsupport for adafruit-circuitpython-neopixel

[ladyada]

hey folks, a few years ago we added a 'neopixel' module to this repo, which is awesome but has ended up name-colliding with our circuitpython neopixel library. because of import order, if we install rpi_ws281x, it will never use adafruit-circuitpython-neopixel's neopixel.py file. which is life and i can live with it:)

to 'fix' we'd like to add a new class to this repo's neopixel module that will essentially be a copy-n-paste of this file, to create a circuitpython-api-compatible neopixel object. this will let us complete our quest to provide a unified API for CPython/circuitpython hardware projects

It shouldn't affect anything on your end cause it will be a completely new class, but let me know whatcha think! I can do the PR if it sounds good to you :)

[Gadgetoid]

Since the neopixel name is your brand-name (registered trademark IIRC?), and since it was only kept in this library as a compatibility shim after I moved for the more generic (but still not quite all-encompassing) rpi_ws281x I'd be happy to advocate for the dropping of neopixel altogether from this library, so that you can use the module name without conflicts or needing to worry about this repository in future.

A major version bump on the associated release of rpi_ws281x-python and simple instructions to end-users should get them migrated from using "neopixel" to "rpi_ws821x" which are presently totally interchangeable. Either way our users (at least those still import neopixel) are going to have to make that change.

Would this work for you?

[Gadgetoid]

In further reading of your solution I understand why it wouldn't affect our users. Still I suspect it would cause some amount of headache with future maintenance since a copy & paste of the class would have to be maintained in two places.

I'm happy to take the headache (I suspect it wont be particularly problematic) of moving users from import neopixel to import rpi_ws281x so that you can have your module name to yourself without any quirks or complications.

After all, the library is called rpi-281x-python and it makes little to no sense to import neopixel from a package with a completely different name.

As much as I can't stop calling everything "neopixels" by habit (and I wholeheartedly recognise the Adafruitian origins of the Python class upon which we have built), the nomenclature clash in this library has bugged me for years 😁 (I felt shipping this on PyPi as "neopixel" would have been crossing a line)

[Gadgetoid]

Oh and a heads up (ugh sorry for the wall of replies), regardless of the outcome of this issue- I think this learn article is quite out of date: https://learn.adafruit.com/neopixels-on-raspberry-pi?view=all and could replace a vast majority of the install fiddling with our shipped Python wheels:

sudo pip install rpi_ws281x

Since over on https://github.com/jgarff/rpi_ws281x we're often fielding issues from users trying to build the crusty old Python bindings lingering in that repository from source when they don't need to:

jgarff/rpi_ws281x#307
jgarff/rpi_ws281x#299
jgarff/rpi_ws281x#291
jgarff/rpi_ws281x#290

[ladyada]

whew! ok yeah we're ok with removing neopixel from this library completely, and we'll update our code/guide as well! as mentioned, we'll be showing how to use the circuitpython api anyhow :)
let us know when you've yanked & bumped pypi!

[Gadgetoid]

You may forge ahead! Godspeed.

https://github.com/rpi-ws281x/rpi-ws281x-python/releases/tag/v4.0.0

[ladyada]

thankx!