Just out of curiosity, what's the difference between the ordinary Arduino IDE and PRO (meaning the link named PRO at the top of the page).
When I clicked the link I found lots of fancy images and buzzwords but no useful explanation.
...R
It has a lot of the fancy features people complain about the Arduino IDE not having, including:
- Auto complete
- Ability to close tabs
- Integrated version control
- Ability to go to or peek the definition, declaration, and references of any code via a right click menu (including in libraries)
- Refactoring assistance
All the features you would expect to find in any professional IDE.
What's really awesome is the built-in debugger.
The Pro IDE is very much still in the alpha development stage It's under active development and Arduino is seeking feedback from the users. So this is a good opportunity to have an influence in how this tool turns out. And yes, I know you're probably already satisfied using your Geany system, but it's worth giving it a try just for curiosity's sake.
One thing to note is that Pro isn't only about the Pro IDE, it includes a line of hardware targeted to business users. The first product in that line will be the Portenta H7.
pert:
It has a lot of the fancy features people complain about the Arduino IDE not having, including:
- Auto complete
- Ability to close tabs
- Integrated version control
- Ability to go to or peek the definition, declaration, and references of any code via a right click menu (including in libraries)
- Refactoring assistance
All the features you would expect to find in any professional IDE.
I wonder why it does not say that on the opening page ??
...R
I guess they consider the "Modern fully featured development environment" bullet point to cover all that. I suppose for a "pro", it's only a surprise if those features are missing from an IDE.
All I see is this (in large letters)
An unconventionally simple path to IoT Success
Which is about as useful as a chocolate fire-guard.
...R
That's the description of Arduino Pro in general. As I said, Arduino Pro is much more than just the Arduino Pro IDE. There is a dedicated page about Arduino Pro IDE (though it ends up talking as much about Arduino's other IDE offerings as it does the Pro IDE) you get to via Platform > Software > Arduino Pro IDE:
https://www.arduino.cc/pro/arduino-pro-ide
pert:
That's the description of Arduino Pro in general.
Sorry. It's not a description of anything.
It is just marketing drivel and it is disappointing to see Arduino reducing itself to that.
...R
Keeping in mind that Pro has a different target user (business vs hobby and education) than the other Arduino product lines, what would you suggest it be changed to?
pert:
Keeping in mind that Pro has a different target user (business vs hobby and education) than the other Arduino product lines, what would you suggest it be changed to?
Almost anything would be an improvement. 
I guess I don't really know what IOT means. It seems to me to be a catch-all phrase that means widely different things to different people (a bit like the words capitalism and socialism).
What about something like this
The original Arduino IDE was developed to introduce hobbyists to microprocessors and was deliberately kept simple.
Now Arduino Pro brings you a professional standard IDE closely coupled with XXX Arduino products to allow you to develop high quality IOT projects quickly and economically. Click here to see the IDE features. Click here to see the Arduino products
...R
Robin2:
I guess I don't really know what IOT means. It seems to me to be a catch-all phrase that means widely different things to different people (a bit like the words capitalism and socialism).
It's interesting because my feelings about the mention of IoT on that page go in the opposite direction. To me, it's overly specific. The Pro line certainly can be used for IoT applications, but it's in no way limited to them.
Robin2:
The original Arduino IDE was developed to introduce hobbyists to microprocessors and was deliberately kept simple.Now Arduino Pro brings you a professional standard IDE closely coupled with XXX Arduino products to allow you to develop high quality IOT projects quickly and economically. Click here to see the IDE features. Click here to see the Arduino products
That would be reasonable text for the Arduino Pro IDE sub-page, but I don't think it would make sense to go into so much detail about the Pro IDE on the Pro home page, since the home page is about providing a general overview of the Pro program, rather than talking about specific Pro products.
I think the Pro IDE sub-page does come pretty close to providing that information:
Arduino Pro IDE
A new enhanced version with features to appeal to the more advanced developers - while retaining continuity with the simple, classic Arduino IDE
...
Arduino IDE
The simplicity of the classic Arduino IDE has made it one of the most popular in the world — with over 15 millions downloads per year.
The new features of the Arduino Pro IDE include:
- Modern fully featured development environment
- Debugger - set breakpoints, view trace, step through execution and more. See this video preview of the Arduino Debugger.
- Dual Mode; Classic Arduino look and Pro (File System view)
- Designed for developing larger, multi-file, repository-based projects
- Open to third party plug-ins and boards
- Support for Arduino, Python and JavaScript code
- New Board Manager, Library Manager and Serial Monitor
- Git integration
pert:
It's interesting because my feelings about the mention of IoT on that page go in the opposite direction. To me, it's overly specific. The Pro line certainly can be used for IoT applications, but it's in no way limited to them.
I guess that just demonstrates additional scope for confusion
That would be reasonable text for the Arduino Pro IDE sub-page, but I don't think it would make sense to go into so much detail about the Pro IDE on the Pro home page, since the home page is about providing a general overview of the Pro program,
Now I'm even more confused. I didn't realize that Pro meant anything other than the Pro IDE.
The words I quoted earlier An unconventionally simple path to IoT Success certainly don't explain anything.
Has the internet replaced people's abilities to write simple descriptive text with a mania for graphics and gobbledygook?
(By the way, I see the exact same problem on lots of other "modern" web sites)
...R
I would agree with both of you on this one.
Some of the wording could be simpler.
But some needs a slightly deeper explanation.
:-[ 
Wait wasn't this topic somewhere else ?
Robin2:
Now I'm even more confused. I didn't realize that Pro meant anything other than the Pro IDE.
I mentioned that in #1:
pert:
One thing to note is that Pro isn't only about the Pro IDE, it includes a line of hardware targeted to business users. The first product in that line will be the Portenta H7.
Looking at my reply now, I think my use of a horizontal rule (which was intended to provide a visual separation between the unrelated paragraphs) could have caused it to look like a signature, which we naturally skip reading. I'll have to keep that issue in mind.
Robin2:
Has the internet replaced people's abilities to write simple descriptive text with a mania for graphics and gobbledygook?(By the way, I see the exact same problem on lots of other "modern" web sites)
I'm a big fan of super minimalist websites with basic HTML and the absolute minimum amount of images required to illustrate the information being proved. That said, probably the average person would not understand that this sort of website was designed this way intentionally.
A web designer friend of mine was horrified by how "basic" my ZenCart-based website looked and absolutely set on making it all fancy looking. I had to explain that I had spent a ton of time making it look that way purposefully and they simply couldn't comprehend why I did that. I guess I'm just weird.
Here's my most recent web site:
I looked all over for a Jekyll theme that was just simple black text on white background with blue hyperlinks. It simply didn't exists. Web designers can't resist adding a bunch of gradients and rounded corners and drop shadows and dropdown menus. I had to start with the most basic theme I could find and spend a bunch of time figuring out how to remove all that stuff.
ballscrewbob:
Wait wasn't this topic somewhere else ?
I didn't move it.
pert:
I mentioned that in #1:
I had seen that. But I was not aware of the distinction when I first looked at the PRO web page and there is nothing on it to explain what it is, or what it is not.
A web designer friend of mine was horrified by how "basic" my ZenCart-based website looked and absolutely set on making it all fancy looking. I had to explain that I had spent a ton of time making it look that way purposefully and they simply couldn't comprehend why I did that. I guess I'm just weird.
I had a couple of books on interface design that I was impressed with. One was by Joel Spolsky (I forget the title) and the other was called "Don't make me think" by Steve Krug.
The Title of the latter says it all, in my view. If I have to go to a second web page to figure what it's all about then just leave and go somewhere else. It's not rocket science.
...R
PS ... limited shelf space saw both books going to charity shops.
Arduino pro sounds good.
pert:
It has a lot of the fancy features people complain about the Arduino IDE not having, including:
- Auto complete
- Ability to close tabs
- Integrated version control
- Ability to go to or peek the definition, declaration, and references of any code via a right click menu (including in libraries)
- Refactoring assistance
All the features you would expect to find in any professional IDE.
What's really awesome is the built-in debugger.
The Pro IDE is very much still in the alpha development stage It's under active development and Arduino is seeking feedback from the users. So this is a good opportunity to have an influence in how this tool turns out. And yes, I know you're probably already satisfied using your Geany system, but it's worth giving it a try just for curiosity's sake.
One thing to note is that Pro isn't only about the Pro IDE, it includes a line of hardware targeted to business users. The first product in that line will be the Portenta H7.
I looked at the pro page and NOTHING like what you say here came across to me. lt was all iot iot iot. If one is not interested in IOT I don' think they will give this a second look.
-jim lee
There's a very important thing to understand. Arduino Pro is Arduino's initiative to offer products to the business market. These products include hardware (e.g., the new Portenta H7 Arduino board) and software (e.g., the Arduino Pro IDE).
The Pro home page is a general overview of the entire Pro initiative. Arduino Pro IDE is only one component of the Arduino Pro initiative. Arduino Pro and the Arduino Pro IDE are NOT the same thing. The Arduino Pro IDE is one component of the Arduino Pro initiative, but the Arduino Pro initiative is about more than only a new IDE.
For this reason, it wouldn't make sense to provide a detailed description of the Arduino Pro IDE on the Pro home page. There is a dedicated sub-page for the Arduino Pro IDE which is accessed via the Platform > Software > Arduino Pro IDE menu path from the home page:
https://www.arduino.cc/pro/arduino-pro-ide
This is the page that provides specific information about the Arduino Pro IDE.
pert:
There is a dedicated sub-page for the Arduino Pro IDE which is accessed via the Platform > Software > Arduino Pro IDE menu path from the home page:
How is anyone expected to find that?
Why would anyone bother to try?
This reminds me of a story told (many decades ago) by a senior civil servant about another (even older) civil servant and a Government Minister who was going to an important international negotiation "Don't worry Minister all the information you will need on that topic is on page 118 of your brief"
...R
I'm really trying to understand why this is so confusing to people. Now that we have two people on this thread having issues understanding the Pro content, I think there is good evidence there is a problem here, but I simply can't figure out what it is.
This is not at all an obscure interface. It's extremely common for websites to have menus like this. I'm certain you both use this sort of website all the time, so why is this one in particular giving you problems?
What would you suggest doing to improve it?
pert:
I'm really trying to understand why this is so confusing to people. Now that we have two people on this thread having issues understanding the Pro content, I think there is good evidence there is a problem here, but I simply can't figure out what it is.
To my mind the solution is very simple.
Put two or three paragraphs of introduction / explanation on the home page instead of the meaningless
An unconventionally simple path to IoT Success
...R