open-source microcontroller IDE

Curious what's motivating this, because I cannnot see a real need. The Arduino IDE has the benefit that there are thousands of tutorials and YouTube videos, showing that IDE in use, so that's the IDE that beginners will find easiest to get up to speed with.

The STM32 doesn't have anywhere near the same traction for beginners, so a simple IDE for that might not be very popular (is the aim to make STM32 more popular among beginners? If so, to what benefit?). Advanced beginners/enthusiasts will be comfortable using existing IDEs.

Thanks, fair point.

I’m not trying to replace Arduino IDE directly. My idea is more about the step after Arduino: helping users move toward STM32 and other microcontrollers with less friction.

Two things I’m exploring as differentiators are:

1. AI-assisted workflows: helping users understand compiler errors, suggest fixes, explain faults, generate starter code, and guide debugging.

2. Multi-microcontroller support: not only Arduino or STM32, but gradually supporting other families in one learning-oriented environment.

That said, I understand the risk: if it becomes just “another IDE”, it may not be useful enough. Maybe the real value is an AI-assisted educational/debugging tool rather than a full IDE replacement.

Do you think AI-guided debugging and learning would make this more useful, or would existing tools still cover the need well enough?

Thing is, you're almost teaching them "how to program".  Arduino is so well served and the IDE and environment already simple for beginners I wouldn't focus on that segment - remember, the Arduino environment has already abstracted away the complexities of programming the ATMEL MCU (read the data sheet and you'll get an idea of how well they've done!)  My first thought was how to translate what I know about programming an Arduino into developing on another MCU.  The complexity of that problem though lies in the abstraction and the reality is beginners are not going to be using those MCUs - they will stick with Arduino, ESP etc.  Compiler and linker settings, environment configuration, MCU specifics etc all require a good degree of problem solving developed from experience, e.g. my first foray into a Renesas MCU from Arduino  didn't require me to know that MCU specifically, but it did require me to spot, troubleshoot, research etc etc, all skills obtained over 30 years in IT.  And that was with a Renesas developed C compiler hooked into Eclipse. I don't think your target market overlaps: beginners are well served by the Arduino environment and when they are ready to move to other microprocessors they will have the experience to not need the level of handholding.  I admire the idea though: perhaps asking on the Arduino forum what people might like to see might give you some ideas?  Certainly, I think a focus on helping people to transition from a simplistic Arduino environment to a more complex one might have some legs.

Thanks, that makes sense. I think “beginner IDE” was probably the wrong way for me to describe it. The more realistic target may be people who have already used Arduino and now want to understand what happens underneath when moving to a more complex MCU workflow.

So the focus would not be “teach programming from zero”, but help with the transition: build systems, compiler/linker messages, MCU-specific configuration, registers, debugging, and fault analysis.

I agree that beginners are already well served by Arduino. The gap I’m trying to validate is the step after that.

Your suggestion about asking Arduino users what they struggle with when moving beyond Arduino is a good one. That may give me a clearer picture of whether this tool should exist, and what problem it should actually solve.

Thanks, that makes sense. I think “beginner IDE” was probably the wrong way for me to describe it. The more realistic target may be people who have already used Arduino and now want to understand what happens underneath when moving to a more complex MCU workflow.

So the focus would not be “teach programming from zero”, but help with the transition: build systems, compiler/linker messages, MCU-specific configuration, registers, debugging, and fault analysis.

I agree that beginners are already well served by Arduino. The gap I’m trying to validate is the step after that.

Your suggestion about asking Arduino users what they struggle with when moving beyond Arduino is a good one. That may give me a clearer picture of whether this tool should exist, and what problem it should actually solve.