Posted on November 26, 2014 at 11:58The good side is that you get a working code fairly quicky even using some complex feature like DMA without having to dig into documentation to write your own code. You also have to write a lot less code for accessing hardware than with the previous ST libraries. ...
For the down side, ... the HAL driver are poorly architected with wait loops under interrupts and lack flexibility as well as fonctionnality. You may end up having to re-write them.
That is exactly the problem with the Cube software - it targets (intentionally or not) the casual hobbyist with superficial/mediocre knowledge of the MCU. It promises to deliver complex application by a simple point-and-click interface, without the need to RTFM.
Not unexpectedly, the results are mixed for hobbyists, and disappointing for professionals.
You may end up having to re-write them.
That is a no-go for commercial users. If such a code generator were used, it had to be touched every time the generation model is changed - a waste of ressources.
And by the way, commercial projects tend to have tight budgets, and often go for the least possible hardware costs. That excludes fat/buggy libs, even if auto-generated without much effort. Those companies tend to hire developers that can go beyond point-and-click, read/understand long datasheets, and code down to register level.
The payoff comes with the number of units sold, so they are prepared to invest in professional tools and developers, and in project time. I have personally witnessed project delays for weeks to avoid the next, bigger MCU, costing a few cents more.
