Buy OS or create from scratch?

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

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.

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.

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.

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