Toit v2.0.0 marks a significant milestone for a project that began as closed-source software developed by Toitware. Following the closure of Toitware in 2024, the project transitioned to an open-source model maintained by a community of volunteers. This release follows more than four years of alpha development, involving over 2,000 commits and 500,000 lines of changed code. The move to a stable version was finalized after the completion of a major refactoring that allows peripheral APIs to accept pin numbers directly, removing the previous requirement to use specific `gpio.Pin` objects.
The language is designed to provide a readable syntax and an efficient runtime for both general desktop scripting and specialized applications on ESP32 microcontrollers. Since becoming open-source, the project has expanded its hardware support to include the Arm-based EC618 and nearly all ESP32 variants. Key technical updates in the v2.0.0 release include a rewritten package manager, a growing package ecosystem, and the introduction of 'firmware envelopes.' These envelopes allow users to customize their firmware without the need to rebuild the entire SDK, a significant workflow improvement for hardware developers.
Despite the move to a stable version, the developers acknowledge that the project remains a work in progress. The release was prompted by the completion of planned breaking changes rather than the inclusion of every desired feature. Several major features remain in development, including a dedicated formatter, improvements to compiler resolution, and support for additional architectures. While Toit offers a unique design philosophy—aiming for a syntax that feels like 'programming if C had never existed'—the current version represents a stable foundation for a community-driven ecosystem rather than a finished product with a complete feature set.