Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Arduino IDE VS termbox

Compare Arduino IDE VS termbox and see what are their differences

Arduino IDE logo Arduino IDE

Arduino is an open-source electronics prototyping platform based on flexible, easy-to-use hardware...

termbox logo termbox

Termbox is a library that helps making terminal-based pseudo-GUIs.
  • Arduino IDE Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-14
  • termbox Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-23

Arduino IDE features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    The Arduino IDE features a simple and intuitive interface that makes it accessible even for beginners with little to no programming experience.
  • Wide Community Support
    With a large community of developers and users, finding tutorials, forums, and examples is fairly straightforward, which can be immensely helpful for troubleshooting and learning.
  • Extensive Library Support
    The IDE supports a vast array of libraries that make it easy to add functionality to your projects without needing to code everything from scratch.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    Arduino IDE is available for multiple operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux, making it versatile and easy to integrate into various development environments.
  • Built-in Support for Multiple Boards
    The IDE supports a wide range of Arduino and compatible boards, making it a versatile choice for different types of hardware projects.

Possible disadvantages of Arduino IDE

  • Limited Advanced Features
    While it's great for beginners, the simplicity of the Arduino IDE means it lacks more advanced features found in professional development environments, which can limit experienced developers.
  • Performance Constraints
    The IDE's compilation and upload processes can be slower compared to more optimized environments, which can be a drawback for large, complex projects.
  • Basic Code Editing Tools
    The IDE lacks some advanced code editing tools such as autocomplete, refactoring tools, and advanced debugging features, which are available in other professional IDEs.
  • Monolithic Structure
    The IDE operates as a monolithic package, which can make it cumbersome to integrate with other development tools and environments.
  • Limited Customization
    Customization options for the IDE are somewhat limited compared to more sophisticated development environments, which could be restrictive for power users.

termbox features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Support
    Termbox is designed to work on multiple operating systems, including Linux, Windows, and macOS, making it a versatile choice for developers who need to target various environments.
  • Simple API
    The library offers a straightforward API that allows developers to easily create text-based user interfaces without dealing with complex low-level terminal handling.
  • Minimal Dependencies
    Termbox is a lightweight library with minimal dependencies, which makes it easy to integrate into projects without having to manage a large dependency tree.
  • Event Handling
    Provides a robust event system to handle keyboard, mouse, and resize events, enabling developers to create interactive terminal applications with ease.

Possible disadvantages of termbox

  • Limited Feature Set
    While Termbox is simple to use, it may lack some advanced features found in more comprehensive terminal libraries, limiting its suitability for more complex applications.
  • Maintenance Status
    As of the latest updates, the project may not be actively maintained, which could lead to issues with compatibility or unresolved bugs over time.
  • Lacks High-Level Components
    Termbox does not provide high-level UI components like buttons or menus, which means developers might need to implement these themselves for more sophisticated interfaces.
  • Unicode and Character Encoding
    Handling of Unicode and character encoding can be challenging, and developers might need to perform additional work to support internationalization and ensure correct rendering.

Analysis of Arduino IDE

Overall verdict

  • The Arduino IDE is generally considered good, especially for those beginning to explore electronics and programming. Its simplicity and strong community support make it an excellent choice for creating prototypes and learning the basics of embedded systems.

Why this product is good

  • The Arduino IDE is widely regarded as a good development environment because it is user-friendly, versatile, and open-source. It provides a simple and intuitive interface for beginners, while still offering the features and flexibility needed by more experienced developers. The IDE supports a vast array of libraries and is compatible with various Arduino boards, making it accessible for a wide range of projects. Additionally, the active community provides substantial support and resources, which enhances the learning and development process.

Recommended for

    The Arduino IDE is recommended for beginners, hobbyists, educators, and anyone interested in developing small to medium-sized electronics projects. It's an excellent starting point for those looking to learn about microcontrollers and embedded systems without a steep learning curve.

Arduino IDE videos

ESP32 Review: Using the ESP32 with the Arduino IDE

More videos:

  • Review - M5stack core module kit unboxing | Review | programming in Arduino IDE

termbox videos

No termbox videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Arduino IDE and termbox)
IDE
72 72%
28% 28
Text Editors
100 100%
0% 0
URL Shortener
0 0%
100% 100
Software Development
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Arduino IDE and termbox

Arduino IDE Reviews

Autohotkey Alternatives and Similar Free Software
This alternative to AutoHotkey, makes programming easier for beginners, as it provides a simple interface and a system that is community-driven. Arduino IDE is perfect at making simple coding and works with programming-specific functions. The best thing about this software is auto-format, and you will get an easy to understand format.

termbox Reviews

We have no reviews of termbox yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, termbox seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 2 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Arduino IDE mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Arduino IDE yet. Tracking of Arduino IDE recommendations started around Mar 2021.

termbox mentions (2)

  • Writing TUI with Ratatouille
    Most answers were a code-golf style with writing the full functionality in least number of lines of code. I took a different approach. Since some time already I wanted to try out Ratatouille - an Elixir toolkit for writing TUI (Terminal UI), based on termbox. - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • I looking for a TUI liberary/framework with good aesthetics.
    If you want to go lower-level, then I would recommend against ncurses, and instead start with notcurses or termbox. termbox has lots of language bindings, but the author is no longer maintaining it. Still, not a bad place to start from. If you do decide to get into ncurses, this doc can get you over some of the humps with keyboard/screen/mouse. Source: over 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Arduino IDE and termbox, you can also consider the following products

Eclipse - Eclipse is an open source community, whose projects are focused on building an open development platform comprised of extensible frameworks, tools and runtimes for building, deploying and managing software across the lifecycle.

ncurses - ncurses (new curses) is a programming library that provides an API which allows the programmer to...

Netbeans - NetBeans IDE 7.0. Develop desktop, mobile and web applications with Java, PHP, C/C++ and more. Runs on Windows, Linux, Mac OS X and Solaris. NetBeans IDE is open-source and free.

FINAL CUT - Library for creating terminal applications with text-based widgets

IntelliJ IDEA - Capable and Ergonomic IDE for JVM

Slang - Slang is a powerful visual programming language using a newly developed stream-based paradigm.