Jumping to Arduino

I had been using various microcontroller for 10+ years on a professional and hobbyist level ranging from 8-bit PIC, 16-bit NEC 78K0R, PowerPC and Arm Cortex M4 series. And I am currently sticking with Arduino (for hobby and personal projects) platform for the following reasons:

1. Free C++ Compiler - this is a very huge plus for me. I love abstractions, polymorphism, object-oriented concepts and design patterns.
2. Lots of libraries - Reusability is the key, no need to reinvent the wheel
3. Community support
4. Cheap Ready to buy boards - There are lots of varieties (I have Due, Nano, and Mega). No need to design/etc your own PCB. Just buy and program.