Electron 0.2 Released

I’m happy to announce Electron 0.2. We’ve done a lot of work to improve the compiler and library tools. The biggest news is Windows and Linux support. Also, you don’t need to pre-install the regular Arduino IDE anymore. Electron will auto-download it’s own copy of the required toolchain. Here’s the details:

* Initial Windows and Linux support!

* You don’t need to modify settings.js anymore. Electron will auto detect your Arduino/Sketchbook dir.

* You don’t need the regular Arduino IDE installed anymore. The appropriate toolchain will be auto-downloaded for you the first time you compile something.

* User installed libs work now. Note that user installed libs take a priority over libs installed by the IDE.

* the serial port will be automatically closed and reopened when you upload a sketch. If this crashes your computer please let me know. I might need to increase the timeouts.

* Preliminary support for auto-detecting which board you are using by the USB VID/PID. Special thanks to PixnBits for that.

* Set the serial port speed

* Sketch rename works now

* download progress is shown in the browser (partially)

* tons of under the hood fixes

* auto scroll the console

The `arduino-data` project was also updated with new boards an libraries:

* New boards: TinyLily and Gamebuino

* More networking libs: CmdMessenger, OneWire, PS2Keyboard, SerialControl, SSoftware2Mobile, Webduino

* More specs on various boards

* The rest of the built in libraries: Ethernet, Firmata, GSM, LiquidCrystal, SD, SoftwareSerial, TFT, WiFi

* Support library sub-dependencies

Thanks to contributors:

* Dan O’Donovan / Dan-Emutex

* Nick Oliver / PixnBits

* Sean McCarthy / seandmcarthy

* trosper

You can get the latest code on the github project. Please test this with every board and OS you have. File bugs in the issue tracker.

I’ve registered a domain for Electron, electron.pw, though don’t bother going there yet. I haven’t built the website. If anyone is a talented webdev who’d like to help with that job, please contact me.

I’ve you’d a sneak peek of the next version of Electron, check out the mockup here. It’s got a new library picker, a proper tree based file picker, and resizable panes. It still needs a lot of work before it can go live, but this will give you an idea of where we are going.

Thank you, and keep on testing.

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Posted July 4th, 2014

Tagged: electron arduino