I could have started with ‘why the Arduino sucks’ or ‘why the Arduino is bad’, which would have gotten me a tremendous load of page views. But I didn’t because it simply isnt’t true. The Arduino does not ‘suck’, and neither is it bad in its own right. It just isn’t the right tool to teach people programming, but it’s abused that way. Let me tell you why:
What is the Arduino?
“Arduino is an open-source electronics prototyping platform based on flexible, easy-to-use hardware and software. It’s intended for artists, designers, hobbyists, and anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments.” There. I just copy-pasted that from www.arduino.cc. And they’re right! The arduino project is great for creating interactive objects or environments. You’ve got a gazillion of code examples to use, you can easily read out sensors that would take hours to days to get going (even with coding experience) and a large user base to ask questions. Above all, creating interactive objects or environments is about human interaction (fun!). Hook up a sensor to an actuator, create new combinations and play around… But it’s NOT a good standard to learn coding, or benefit from the power of embedded electronics.
And that’s where I’m bearing a grudge to the use of Arduino’s as a ‘getting started with programming’. Learning to work with microcontrollers is sometimes a steep pathway, but leverages the power of these little beasts. Using an Arduino to learn programming is like using MacDonalds to learn cooking; you get your meal, very fast, but you don’t get the skills to cook yourself. When you need a quick meal, the Mac can be OK (debatable, but just to make my point), but it’s not a cooking class.
