It's certainly easy to use, as long as the server remains up. But do I still have full control over the code that I upload to you, or does it count as "user-generated content" in http://www.getinpulse.com/terms/? What privacy guarantees do you make regarding the code that I upload? (Hopefully very little; it is transmitted in the clear, after all..)

We live in a world where device vendors (even small ones) routinely use technical means to thwart hackers and other tinkerers. Often, this is done under the guise of usability or security (sometimes with some justification, even). Plenty of people don't mind trading away some control for stability or ease-of-use.

This is a forum for hackers, and you just called your device "hackable". I'm saying that it's not, currently; it's a black box with an SDK that does cloud compilation. You don't document that fact anywhere or provide an ready alternative, and there's no information about what's underneath your API, either OS or hardware.

I've never heard of a cloud compile service, but I think in this case, it's a good idea. Especially since not many people have experience with cross-compiling.

One of the things that make Arduino so popular is the ease of use in getting code a) to compile and b) get uploaded to the device. If this works via a service, then so be it.

But, I would like to see instructions for setting up a local amr-gcc toolchain, just to be complete.