It was good while it lasted, I guess.
Arduino will retain its independent brand, tools, and mission, while continuing to support a wide range of microcontrollers and microprocessors from multiple semiconductor providers as it enters this next chapter within the Qualcomm family. Following this acquisition, the 33M+ active users in the Arduino community will gain access to Qualcomm Technologies’ powerful technology stack and global reach. Entrepreneurs, businesses, tech professionals, students, educators, and hobbyists will be empowered to rapidly prototype and test new solutions, with a clear path to commercialization supported by Qualcomm Technologies’ advanced technologies and extensive partner ecosystem.
↫ Qualcomm’s press release
Qualcomm’s track record when it comes to community engagement, open source, and long-term support are absolutely atrocious, and there’s no way Arduino will be able to withstand the pressures from management. We’ve seen this exact story play out a million times, and it always begins with lofty promises, and always ends with all of them being broken. I have absolutely zero faith Arduino will be able to continue to do its thing like it has.
Arduino devices are incredibly popular, and it makes sense for Qualcomm to acquire them. If I were using Arduino’s for my open source projects, I’d be a bit on edge right now.
It’s dead, then.
Honestly, I migrated to Espressif and STM for hobby projects quite a while ago, but Arduino does have a special place in my heart.
It will painful to watch Qualcomm defile it. And they will do it.
I have begun testing the RP2350 as an alternative for the rare times I need a microcontroller, and so far I haven’t been disappointed. Granted my needs are modest and rare, but it’s nice to know there are lots of alternatives when the inevitable demise of Arduino happens.
Why the gloom?
If qualcomm do close source it. Its currently open source. So anyone can just fork from here. Plenty of clone makers around already producing.
Isnt this the entire premise of open source design? That others use and contribute?