Linux-based devices such as the Beaglebone and Raspberry Pi are powerful, yet affordable platforms that are capable of interfacing to a number of devices. And yet, in spite of their inherent I/O capacity, the Maker movement and many other rapid-prototyping and experimenter communities find them lacking. The need for pin muxes and a lack of standardized GPIO, I2C and PWM interfaces make these Linux platforms less than ideal for a wide variety of real-world applications. However, the ecosystem surrounding the Arduino open-source hardware provides for a variety of interfaces, all with an intuitive software model that makes complex interfaces simple to implement. This presentation will outline the reasons for the success of the Arduino ecosystem and why Linux-based platforms could benefit from leveraging the Arduino platform to make embedded Linux more approachable.
