Buy OS or create from scratch?

[RobertRoss]

Hi be80be,

The only thing I was able to get from Atmel was this:

http://store.atmel.com/CBC.aspx?q=c:100122

and this:

**broken link removed**

And when I calculate the bear minimal system components to run linux so I can display "Hello world" we need:

Arm MCU: 12$
MN2, MN3: (Ram): 20$
MN4, MN5 (Flash): 14$
MN1G MN1F: ???
Approximately 46$

Why can't there be a simple schematic with the minimal hardware required to run the smalles possible distro of Linux so to be able to simply display "Hello Worrld" or a few pictures and that's it?
Why does every development board come with dozens of features that I don't need?

discouraged

 

[be80be]

The ST board I have is cheap just add a SD card and your good to go.

But you really have not shared enough info to really help you pick any thing.

If you could get by with a menu to use as user interface I would use a PIC and a nice GLCD you could use all the parental's you said you wanted in post1 and real low cost.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Why not look at the Raspberry Pi?, cheaper and far more powerful - and out 'fairly soon'.

But as others have mentioned, you're really giving us no information on what EXACTLY you're trying to do.

 

[be80be]

Raspberry Pi would be great and it really is a heck of a board for the money I didn't say any thing about it because I can't get one till june but I been really looking at some Linux programs to use it for Netflix and found that Radio shack sells a box that has to have almost the same hardware there both using the same ARM with the same video spec.

Raspberry Pi has good I/O capability And out of the box runs Linux

But the information that has been giving the OP could use one of them new ant size pic micros unbelievable power in a chip there size.

 

[RobertRoss]

Hi guys,

Thanks for all your feedback!

What I am trying to do is to determine if I should continue building a kernel with my own graphics library in a PIC or use an off the shelf OS with gui libraries already written for me.
All I am really doing is a small electronic board with the minimal hardware that displays pictures on a 2" color LCD. I may have a few input switches for some display options.
This can be used as an ornament around the house. I know some of these things exist already on the market today so you need to send me links of where I can buy something like this.
I just want to make this myself.

I have looked into the raspberry PI. But I need the BOM cause I have to be able to build my own electronic board since I need to add a few components myself.
I don't think the RPI would hand out their schematics.

So lets assume for a minute here that I decide to consider looking into LInux or android... Which one should I choose?

r