ARDUINO? -- what is it?

[Michael]

I've seen these projects but have no knowledge of what's going on here.

What is the deal with Arduino?

I read briefly that it's a programming language for microcontrollers as in "so what"?

I see a lot of control projects not unlike what a PIC can do through a serial interface.

What's the big deal?

[Archangel]

I've seen these projects but have no knowledge of what's going on here.

What is the deal with Arduino?

I read briefly that it's a programming language for microcontrollers as in "so what"?

I see a lot of control projects not unlike what a PIC can do through a serial interface.

What's the big deal?
If I understand it right it is ATMEL micros with FREEWARE C compiler

[rhino]

Think of the Arduino as a cheaper alternative to the basic stamp.

[picster]

It's compact, cheap, and modular, and has a very easy version of C included.