What is Arduino ?

Introduction 
Arduino is an open source physical computing platform based on a simple input/output (I/O) board and a development environment that implements the Processing Language. Arduino can be used to develop standalone interactive objects or can be connected to software on your computer. The boards can be assembled by hand or purchased  assembled; the open source IDE(Integrated Development Environment) can be downloaded for free from http://www.arduino.cc .

Arduino is different from other platforms on the market because of these Features:

•     It is a multiplatform Environment; it can run on Windows, Macintosh and Linux.

•           It is based on the Processing programming IDE, an Easy to Use development environment used by Artists and Designers.

•    You program it via a USB cable, not a serial port. This feature is useful, because many Modern Computers don’t have serial ports.

•    It is open source hardware and software – if you wish, you can download the circuit diagram, buy all the components, and make your own, without paying anything to the makers of Arduino.