For lots of reasons - the bootloader and USB power means minimal fussing to set up. Easy infield updates. Lots of good libraries. Tons of sample code. Wide range of performance available. Fast prototyping. Very low cost boards available. Other than that, not much...

I meant arduino as the arduino "programming language" and IDE, as oposed to say atmel studio and plain old C. I like the pre-programmed bootloader and the boards for quick prototyping sure, but not the software side of arduino.

 

The programming language is C++/C, kind of hard to fault that. AVR GCC is a decent compiler. The base arduino library is pretty basic but, as I said, it's open source so you can make any changes you want. The IDE is pretty minimal but I use an external editor so no problem there.

Compared to, say, Atmel Studio, yeah, the IDE is simplistic. But frankly, I've not found an IDE that didn't have serious flaws. Most of them feel like they were designed by people with extreme cases of ADD.

I spent 35 years writing systems software. Honestly, I find the simplicity of the Arduino IDE to be a strength. I don't feel like I'm fighting it.

 

I'm a BIG fan of the mbed NXP LPC1768 uController. The programming environment is easy and I can turn around products in a matter of a few hours. Plus, it has a nice application board.

 

The programming language is C++/C, kind of hard to fault that. AVR GCC is a decent compiler. The base arduino library is pretty basic but, as I said, it's open source so you can make any changes you want. The IDE is pretty minimal but I use an external editor so no problem there.

Compared to, say, Atmel Studio, yeah, the IDE is simplistic. But frankly, I've not found an IDE that didn't have serious flaws. Most of them feel like they were designed by people with extreme cases of ADD.

I spent 35 years writing systems software. Honestly, I find the simplicity of the Arduino IDE to be a strength. I don't feel like I'm fighting it.

Hi,

Yes i agree and this happens with a lot of software. I think maybe new people take over as the years roll by and they dont understand why the people that came before them did things the way they did, so the new ones end up messing up the software in some ways. I've seen this happen far too much now. An incredible example is in the Windows API where the message box behavior was changed from version to version, and what is so astonishing is that it went from one version to another version and then back to the old version again. One version of the op sys had a limit on the length of a text line in a message box, then a later op sys version removed that limit saying that it was up tot he programmer to limit, then a future version of the op sys went back to a line limit and really pissed some programmers off because they wrote the software according to one standard and that didnt work with future op sys releases. The fault was all with MS, where they do not have a good neough definition of what an MS message box will actually do using vague wording in the description.

I've also seen new people take on the older software and the whole goal is to add new functionality, and they end up messing u the old functionality. They are so intent on adding new stuff that they seem to forget that the old stuff should not be broken. THat tlels me that they did not have enough knowledge of the whole system in general and/or too intent on just adding new stuff. The software gets worse and worse as time goes on and becomes less usable.

 

I've also seen new people take on the older software and the whole goal is to add new functionality, and they end up messing u the old functionality. They are so intent on adding new stuff that they seem to forget that the old stuff should not be broken. THat tlels me that they did not have enough knowledge of the whole system in general and/or too intent on just adding new stuff. The software gets worse and worse as time goes on and becomes less usable.

I recently installed Atmel Studio 7 because I needed to program an ATTiny with a DAC. Hey-fookn-zeus. Gigabytes later, I'm presented with an interface with 70 menu items, widgets and other icon-ish controls along with multiple panels. Some of which look like duplicates but really aren't. It was like the carnival house of mirrors. Talk about sensory overload. Not only that, there is no support for an easy path to getting a project done. The "getting started with atmel studio" takes you a list of 19 videos . The first is about using an Arduino sketch - uh, no, wrong, if I wanted arduino, I'd use arduino. The second is Massimo Banzi talking Atmel Studio, arduino again. Dang, I just want to put my attiny code in, compile and down load it. To add insult, there is no easy way within AS7 to get the pinout of the header from the Atmel ICE cable ("just plug it into your demo board's header" - grrrr. I've got a chip on a breadboard). I think I used about 0.1% of the IDE.

In the end, I worked my way through it but it sure left a sour taste in my mouth.

 

I recently installed Atmel Studio 7 because I needed to program an ATTiny with a DAC. Hey-fookn-zeus. Gigabytes later, I'm presented with an interface with 70 menu items, widgets and other icon-ish controls along with multiple panels. Some of which look like duplicates but really aren't. It was like the carnival house of mirrors. Talk about sensory overload. Not only that, there is no support for an easy path to getting a project done. The "getting started with atmel studio" takes you a list of 19 videos . The first is about using an Arduino sketch - uh, no, wrong, if I wanted arduino, I'd use arduino. The second is Massimo Banzi talking Atmel Studio, arduino again. Dang, I just want to put my attiny code in, compile and down load it. To add insult, there is no easy way within AS7 to get the pinout of the header from the Atmel ICE cable ("just plug it into your demo board's header" - grrrr. I've got a chip on a breadboard). I think I used about 0.1% of the IDE.

In the end, I worked my way through it but it sure left a sour taste in my mouth.

Don't worry, soon you will be able to use MPLABX for your AVR/ ARM Cortex pleasures.

 

Don't worry, soon you will be able to use MPLABX for your AVR/ ARM Cortex pleasures.

Oh good, I spent a looong time trying to make sense of atmel studio.

 

Don't worry, soon you will be able to use MPLABX for your AVR/ ARM Cortex pleasures.

Oh gawhd..... Don't get me started on THAT.