If you're researching robotics courses or robotics software in 2026, you'll run into two names that sound similar but aren't interchangeable: ROS1 and ROS2 (Robot Operating System, versions 1 and 2). This is a plain explainer of what each one is, why the field moved from one to the other, and why MITS Academy's Robotics & IoT Automation course teaches ROS2 exclusively.
What is ROS, in one paragraph?
ROS (Robot Operating System) isn't actually an operating system — it's a middleware framework that lets different parts of a robot's software (sensors, motors, planning, vision) talk to each other through a standard publish/subscribe messaging model, built around units called nodes, topics, and services. Instead of writing custom communication code for every sensor and actuator, a robotics engineer uses ROS's existing structure — which is why it became the de facto standard for robotics research and increasingly production systems.
ROS1: what it was, and why it reached its limit
ROS1 (the original ROS, whose final long-term-support release was called Noetic) was the standard for over a decade and is still referenced in countless tutorials, university courses, and legacy codebases. But it had structural limitations that became harder to ignore as robotics moved from research labs into real commercial products:
- •No built-in real-time support — a meaningful gap for robots that need guaranteed response timing (industrial arms, mobile robots operating near people).
- •Weak security model — ROS1's communication layer wasn't designed with production security in mind, a problem for any robot connected to a network.
- •Difficult multi-robot support — coordinating fleets of robots was awkward and required workarounds rather than being a native capability.
- •A single point of failure — ROS1 relied on a central "ROS Master" process; if it went down, the whole system's communication broke.
ROS2: what changed
ROS2 was built from the ground up to fix these gaps, using a different underlying communication standard (DDS — Data Distribution Service) that provides:
- •Real-time and deterministic communication support — suited to actual industrial and commercial robotics requirements
- •A proper security model — authentication and encryption options built into the communication layer
- •Native multi-robot and distributed system support — no central master process required
- •Better support across operating systems — including more consistent Windows and real-time OS support alongside Linux
The date that matters: May 2025
ROS1's final release, Noetic Ninjemys, officially reached end-of-life in May 2025. That's not a soft recommendation to move on — it means no further updates, security patches, or official support for ROS1 going forward. Every actively maintained robotics lab, research group, and company has either already moved to ROS2 or is in the process of migrating.
This is the single clearest reason a 2026 robotics course has no business teaching ROS1 as the primary framework: the skill would be outdated the moment a student graduates.
Why MITS Academy teaches Jazzy Jalisco specifically
MITS Academy's Robotics & IoT Automation course teaches ROS2 Jazzy Jalisco, an LTS (Long-Term Support) distribution with support extending into 2029. That matters for two reasons:
- •. Stability during the course. An LTS release means the tooling, documentation, and package ecosystem students learn on won't shift under them mid-course.
- •. Longevity after graduation. A skill learned on a distribution supported into 2029 stays current for years, rather than becoming outdated within a year or two of finishing the course.
What this means practically for students
In Month 4 of the Robotics & IoT Automation course, students learn ROS2 nodes, topics, services, and the publish/subscribe model directly — building and running ROS2 packages for sensor input and motor control, and simulating/testing a robot in a ROS2 environment before deploying to real hardware. This isn't a theoretical overview; it's the same middleware structure used in active robotics labs and companies today.
For students who've only seen ROS1 referenced in older tutorials or university material, this matters in interviews too — being able to speak fluently about ROS2's node/topic/service model, and explain why the field moved away from ROS1, signals current, relevant knowledge rather than outdated training.
FAQs
Is ROS1 still used anywhere in 2026? Some legacy systems and older codebases still run on ROS1, but it reached official end-of-life in May 2025 — no further updates or official support. New learning, new projects, and new hiring expectations are built around ROS2.
Is ROS2 harder to learn than ROS1? The core concepts (nodes, topics, services, publish/subscribe) are similar and were designed to be a natural evolution rather than a completely different paradigm. Students without prior ROS1 exposure aren't at a disadvantage — if anything, they avoid having to unlearn ROS1-specific patterns.
What is Jazzy Jalisco? Jazzy Jalisco is a specific ROS2 LTS (Long-Term Support) release, with support extending into 2029 — the distribution MITS Academy's Robotics & IoT Automation course is built on.
Do I need prior robotics experience to learn ROS2? No — MITS Academy's course builds up to ROS2 in Month 4, after Linux, Python/C++, CAD, electronics, and embedded systems foundations in the first three months.
Why does this matter for a fresher's job prospects? Since every current robotics lab and company has moved to ROS2, fresher candidates who can speak concretely about ROS2 — not just "I've heard of ROS" — stand out immediately in robotics, embedded, and automation interviews.
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