Exactly. It took me less time from opening the Arduino package to having the first blinky LED program running - than it took to even figure out which software

Exactly. It took me less time from opening the Arduino package to having the first blinky LED program running - than it took to even figure out which software I need to download for the MSP430, then actually download it, then install it, then rummage through all the useless options, etc. Ugh. :( Now I'm programming naked AVRs, but there's no doubt - Arduino is still easier and more time-effective for most amateur projects. Maybe a naked-AVR board, 8 pin DIP, could beat it for extremely miniature applications. Otherwise, just use a Nano or Mini, and save your time for other things. I wish I had an Arduino when I was a kid and was playing with Basic on a small computer - a programmable board like this would have opened the real world to the computer.