Get started by visiting the Arduino.cc website and downloading the matching IDE for your operating system. As of April 2014 we suggest v1.05 as 1.5 is still in beta. If 1.5 is no longer in beta when you read this you can try it out!

Save the install software to your desktop or wherever

The process for installing the Arduino software on the Mac is a lot easier than on the PC. As before, the first step is to download the file. In the case of the Mac, it is a zip file.

Once downloaded, double-click on the zip file, which will extract a single file called ‘Arduino.app’. This is the whole Arduino application, just drag it into your Applications Folder.

You can now find and launch the Arduino software in your Applications folder. As you are going to use it frequently, you may wish to right-click its icon in the dock and set it to Keep In Dock.

There are many different LINUX distributions and the instructions for each distribution are a little different. The Arduino community has done a great job of putting together sets of instructions for each distribution. So follow the link below and select one of the ten or more distributions on offer.