Embedded Linux, Beginner Question: What do you think of this development board ?

Hi,

I am a beginner to be embedded world, and I have been looking around
to purchase a simple development board to experiment on. Since I am
doing this as a hobby, I am restricted to low-cost options. I came
across the following board while I was doing a google search.

http://www.insight.na.memec.com/Memec/iplanet/link1/VirtexIIProLC_1.pdf

It is based on the Virtex II Pro FPGA that contains a PowerPC
processer and a bunch of reconfigurable logic cells. It costs about
$195 for the board alone (I had a limit of $200). I have access to any
necessary test equipment in the lab in which I am working. I am
planning to use this board to learn things like cross-compiling the
Linux kernel, installing the kernel and device drivers (if they are
available), developing simple programs, etc., It looks like a good
option because I can also experiment with Verilog/VHDL programming.

Has anyone already worked with this board before ? Is it a good
investment for a beginner hobbyist ? Are there better/cheaper
(beginner) alternatives out there ?

I am familiar with the Linux OS and I have been developing
applications in C/C++ for a while. I have just started reading about
Kernel internal, device drivers, etc., and I looking forward to
beginning my journey into Embedded Linux.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in Advance,
Vijay.

XXXX@XXXXX.COM (VC) wrote :


all that can be done with ~50$ Linksys WRT54G Acces Point. Linux
allready ported in. 16-32MB ram, 2-4MB Flash, 125-200Hz MIPS.


If that is important then go for it.


Linksys for Linux all the way - you CANT beat commodity hardware
prices.

Pozdrawiam.
--
RusH //
http://randki.o2.pl/profil.php?id_r=352019
Like ninjas, true hackers are shrouded in secrecy and mystery.
You may never know -- UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE.

Is the source that Linksys released sufficient to build a modified
kernel and boot it?

From this posting it seems it is:
http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=linux-kernel&m=106579161603430&w=4

But Googling I havn't found many pages discussing using the released
code.

Tony

XXXX@XXXXX.COM (Tony Jones) wrote :



You dont need Linksys code. There are at least three independent
projects with patched kernels. OpenWRT, Sveasoft and the third one I
forgot :).


google for openwrt, google for asus WL500 B/G (same hardware + USB +
LPT ports).

Taiwan is beating the living crap out of western embedded board
makers. Thers no point in designing your own board if you dont
innovate. Commodity functions are implemented, debugged to death and
simply working in ~50$ soap box available in every suppermarket.

Pozdrawiam.
--
RusH //
http://randki.o2.pl/profil.php?id_r=352019
Like ninjas, true hackers are shrouded in secrecy and mystery.
You may never know -- UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE.