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0 pointsmardifoufs2y ago0 comments

Isn't the toolchain for the esp almost fully open source (ESP-IDF)? The only part that aren't super open on the esp32 are the radio related firmware and blobs, but those are just not even there in the rp2040 anyways and not related to the toolchain itself.

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crote2y ago

If I recall correctly, a not-insignificant issue is (was?) that the ESP is based on the relatively obscure Xtensa microarchitecture - which is poorly supported (if at all) by the regular open-source toolchain. This means you have to use forks provided by Espressif, rather than just using the standard ones provided by your OS.

It's still open-source so a lot better than having to use a proprietary compiler or IDE, but it's a lot more involved than just your regular bundle of C libraries you can use with your normal tooling.

sam_bristow2y ago

I believe newer ESP32 chips are based on the Risc-V microarchitecture.

crote2y ago

Yup. The original ES32, ESP32-S2, and ESP32-S3 use Xtensa, but the ESP32-C2, -C3, -C6, and -H2 use RISC-V.

Unfortunately they don't all have the same feature set, so you'll often still see the Xtensa variants in the wild as they are are simply a better product overall.

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0 pointsmardifoufs2y ago0 comments

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crote2y ago

sam_bristow2y ago

I believe newer ESP32 chips are based on the Risc-V microarchitecture.

crote2y ago

Yup. The original ES32, ESP32-S2, and ESP32-S3 use Xtensa, but the ESP32-C2, -C3, -C6, and -H2 use RISC-V.

Unfortunately they don't all have the same feature set, so you'll often still see the Xtensa variants in the wild as they are are simply a better product overall.

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