Arduino published updated terms and conditions: no longer an open commons

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Concerns about new Terms & Qualcomm’s Role

  • Many see the updated ToS and explicit “no patent license” language as the opposite of “open,” raising fears that Qualcomm could assert patents against projects built with Arduino tools, examples, or compatible hardware.
  • Some note ToS scope appears limited to Arduino-hosted cloud/services, but others argue the definitions are ambiguous and poorly drafted, which is itself a problem.
  • Official Arduino blog responses are viewed with skepticism: commenters doubt those authors have real authority compared to Qualcomm leadership. Qualcomm’s litigious history and incentives are seen as the real risk.

Openness, Lock‑In, and Governance

  • Longstanding governance/licensing drama around Arduino is recalled; this change is framed as “selling out” and a cautionary tale for community projects.
  • Debate over “lock‑in”:
    • One side says Arduino is just AVR + avr‑gcc/avrdude, no real technical lock‑in.
    • Others argue there is educational/tooling lock‑in: the IDE and abstractions are so much easier that alternatives are “effectively” impractical for many users.

Is Arduino Still Relevant?

  • Some claim tinkerers have largely moved to ESP32, RP2040/2350, Teensy, etc., citing better performance, Wi‑Fi, and price.
  • Others still use older Arduinos for quick, robust, bare‑metal projects, valuing simplicity, durability, and decades of experience with the platform.
  • Serious/production use is debated: some consider Arduino unsuitable or obsolete; others note its historical strength in letting people ship simple commercial products using off‑the‑shelf boards.

Alternatives & Ecosystem Migration

  • Likely migration targets mentioned: ESP32, Raspberry Pi Pico / RP2040/2350, BeagleBone, MicroPython, PlatformIO + ESP‑IDF, etc.
  • Linux SBCs (full Raspberry Pi) are seen as fundamentally different from classic Arduino MCUs, though many hobbyists treat them interchangeably as “boards that talk to sensors.”

Education & Future Paths

  • Arduino’s impact on education and beginners is widely praised: extremely low setup friction, stable over 15+ years, huge library and tutorial ecosystem.
  • Some expect gradual “Qualcommisation”: more lock‑down, focus on enterprise/edu, fewer long‑lived open designs.
  • Suggestions include forking the AGPL IDE, relying on clones/compatibles, or simply letting the broader “Arduino‑style” ecosystem outlive the brand.