CircuitPython, weird 'name is not defined' behaviour

Hello there. I am trying to have some fun with xiao and circuit python. I am running a Neopixel example from adafruit bundle and getting the following serial output:

Auto-reload is on. Simply save files over USB to run them or enter REPL to disable.
Press any key to enter the REPL. Use CTRL-D to reload.
Adafruit CircuitPython 6.0.0 on 2020-11-16; Seeeduino XIAO with samd21g18
>>> uto-reload is ooD
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
NameError: name 'uto' is not defined
>>> Adto-reload is ooD
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
NameError: name 'Adto' is not defined
>>> 
>>> Traceback (most  1,
... Na: na
... 
... Adto-reload is ooD
... 
... Traceback (most  <s"1, <
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 1
SyntaxError: invalid syntax
>>> Na>>raceback (most 1,

that then evolves to pretty funny things:

SyntaxError: invalid syntax
>>> TdTTraria>>i>>>T"  TTnrTr>l>T>>rraTTra>>rr rTras>>
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 1
SyntaxError: invalid syntax
>>> 
>>> TtT>>rTTc 1Ter>>>TnrorrTr
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 1
SyntaxError: invalid syntax
>>> TrdTTraria>>i>>>T  TTnrTr>l>T>>rraTTra>>rr rTras>>

The code I am trying to run is the following:

# This example shows how to create a single pixel with a specific color channel
# order and blink it.
# Most NeoPixels = neopixel.GRB or neopixel.GRBW
# The 8mm Diffused NeoPixel (PID 1734) = neopixel.RGB
import time
import board
import neopixel

# Configure the setup
PIXEL_PIN = board.D1  # pin that the NeoPixel is connected to
ORDER = neopixel.RGB  # pixel color channel order
COLOR = (100, 50, 150)  # color to blink
CLEAR = (0, 0, 0)  # clear (or second color)
DELAY = 0.25  # blink rate in seconds

# Create the NeoPixel object
pixel = neopixel.NeoPixel(PIXEL_PIN, 1, pixel_order=ORDER)

# Loop forever and blink the color
while True:
    pixel[0] = COLOR
    time.sleep(DELAY)
    pixel[0] = CLEAR
    time.sleep(DELAY)

I have the library in place, its version matches the circuit python version. The import itself is successful, as far as I can say the problem appears on line 17.

The question I have is, why I am getting this weird kind of output? There might be some wrong with the library, but the output like this is useless. Am I doing something wrong?
Google is not very helpful…

Any help appreciated!

Hi! This looks like a USB bug we may have fixed. Please try the latest beta and if that still has the issue then lease file an issue here and we’ll take a look: https://github.com/adafruit/circuitpython/issues

Thanks @tannewt! Does not seem to make much of a difference…
I have tried with

adafruit-circuitpython-seeeduino_xiao-en_US-6.2.0-beta.0

and

adafruit-circuitpython-bundle-6.x-mpy-20210126

Do you have any software that might be trying to write to the serial port too? We’ve seen issues with modemmanager and Cura for example.

No, I don’t think so. The thing is it works fine as long as I don’t try to import stuff. I mean some imports work okay, some cause those issues. I guess if that was the case with sth else trying to write to the port, it would behave the same no matter what I do on the board, right>

Python knows the purposes of certain names (ex. built-in functions ). Other names are defined within the program (ex. variables). If Python encounters a name that it doesn’t recognize, you’ll probably get NameError: global name ‘xx’ is not defined error. In most cases, this error is triggered when Python sees a variable name (Global or Local) and doesn’t know what it’s for. These errors can happen if you forget to initialize a variable , if you misspell a variable, or if you misspell a reserved word such as “True”. Before you use the global variable in your function for reading, it must be first initialized somewhere: either outside of the function or inside it.