The last of the Version 1 Arduino IDE upgrades has been released. It may only be a decimal point change, but there is a lot going on at the moment.

The latest upgrade to the Arduino IDE is scheduled to be the last in the version 1 series. Version 1.5 has been in beta for a while and should move to become the standard IDE sometime very soon. 

The key improvements are: 

• New library import functionality to install libraries directly from a .zip file in the IDE. All you have to do now is use the Import Library command and select the zip file. 
  
  
• A new Windows installer and Windows signed drivers. This should mean that you don't see the warning messages when you try and setup the Arduino IDE under Windows. For Windows 8 users this is particularly important because by default Windows 8 blocks unsigned drivers. To install them you have to go though lots of steps that include a reboot. 

• The WiFi library now has UDP support which makes it possible to write programs that broadcast data without making specific TCP connections.
  
  
• Support for the Arduino Robot and TFT screen. 

The good news is that version 1.5 of the IDE will support more than just the standard Arduino hardware. It will be able to compile programs to the ARM processor or take into account the variant of the AVR processor in use. It will also be able to determine how the program is downloaded into the board. This plus the new support for Library management and a central repository should make the Arduino environment much more flexible.