Does "Arduino" mean the software, the header layout or the combination of the both?

Question

Proposal: *Arduino *

There's Arduino software, which is a simplified software development environment. If you try to do anything efficiently or complex you quickly discover the limitations this environment places on you, but it's fine as an introduction to physical computing. Is this what Arduino means, and does it exclude the hardware?

Then there's Arduino board specifications, which basically come down to the header layout (the latest being the R3 layout), but then there are Arduino boards that don't conform, like the Nano. These boards don't require the Arduino environment to program them; you can, for example, use the AVR software suite. Is this what Arduino means, and does it exclude the Arduino toolset?

Of course, having developed some Arduino code, you can then build your own AVR hardware on perfboard or a custom PCB. Is this in scope?

Does the Processing language get a look in, given it's often coupled with Arduino examples?

Answer 1

Arduino could mean any of those things. People who come to the site will be looking for help with software as well as hardware. I think the Arduino board layout isn't the only thing that defines an Arduino board. It can also be defined as a board that: Has the Arduino logo on it, Can be programmed with the Arduino IDE, Has an Arduino-compatible bootloader, And is supported by the Arduino community