Recently I wanted to compile a project for an ESP32S2. The author had set it up in PlatformIO, so I dusted off my copy of Vscode and PlatformIO and set about the task of compiling it, only to run into difficulties that prevented successful compile. After some investigation, it turns out that Espressif have dropped support for PlatformIO and it is therefore no longer possible to compile the project with the current Espressif libraries.
It then transpired that someone has cloned PlatformIO and created a new project called pioarduino and added the needed support. I have been assured by the author of that project, that Espressif is still working on the Arduino core 3.x, but there seems to be no clear official word from Espressif on the subject, except perhaps an encouragement to use ESP-IDF instead. Unfortunately, I can't abide the bright white theme anymore and there seem to be no option for toning it down - but that is a separate issue for Espressif.
In the meantime, I also discover that Microsoft has deprecated the Arduino extension for Vscode which I was looking at as an alternative....
Also in the meantime, there have been a number of reports of compatibility issues with ESP32 core 3.x in Arduino IDE projects. At the same time, Arduino seems to be incorporating ESP32 chips into some of their boards, e.g. UNO R4, Giga etc. At the same time we have the Nano Connect (which is the board that I purchased) which turns out to have an entirely different chip.
PlatformIO still works fine for AVR non-wifi boards and others such as STM32 for example, but the PlatformIO project seems to have had little to say on the matter and there seems to be some question as to whether it is still being developed? Up until now, the ESP32 has been rather popular for Arduino projects, but one can't help but wonder where this is heading? I am considering adding WiFi to my project and was also planning on adding PlatformIO support, but it seems the PlatformIO route is no longer viable and one is left wondering whether the ESP32 is still the way to go? Is it going to be supported in the long term by Arduino or should I be considering something like the Raspberry Pico? Do Arduino have plans for some alternative WiFi chip? To put it bluntly, what is going on with Espressif and between Arduino and Espressif?
Couple the above with Microsoft's deprecation of the Arduino Plugin for Vscode, then one starts to wonder whether Vscode is going to remain a viable option for Arduino projects in the long term? Should I stick to developing my ESP32 Wifi project in IDE2.x for now, or will I ultimately have to move to the Espressif ESP-IDF?
If the above sounds a bit confused, then, its because I am rather confused myself. I don't want to invest a lot of time in something that looks like it is becoming less viable to work with in the Arduino IDE development tool. I am hoping that I am wrong and that this is just a "glitch" in the ESP32 development cycle, but it does look a bit concerning. There is no point asking Espressif as they have never seem to reply to any communications anyway....
