Hi guys,
I'm new to BeagleBoard in general but think that the BeagleBone is a
great product and everyone has done a smashing job getting it
together! I have already pre-ordered two for validation.
I have a few n00b questions:
- Will there be any other pre-built Linux distributions available for
download?
There will be at least 2 from TI: Android and the AMSDK. At least an
Ubuntu image will be available. I expect there to be several others
and non-Linux systems as well. I know TI will release Windows
Embedded Compact 7, but I suspect many RTOS vendors to also provide
pre-built distribution images that can be loaded onto SD cards.
- What support is in place for cross-compiling? i.e. does the supplied
compiler support Windows cross-compile (I'm mostly familiar with
CodeSourcery compilers).
The supplied compiler will be Angstrom on-the-board. Angstrom does
have cross-compilers
(http://www.angstrom-distribution.org/toolchains), but none released
for Windows. Because it is an ARMv7, the number of cross-compiling
toolchains you can choose is enormous. Linaro, GHS, TI,
Mentor/CodeSourcery, ARM, etc., etc., etc. What compiler you choose
is really best tied to the development environment you desire and the
best stability in that environment. I like the Angstrom toolchain
that is well aligned with OE-core and reasonably aligned with Linaro
and Yocto and CodeSourcery.
- Does the cloud9 IDE support C++ programming and are there any
limitations in integrating cmake projects?
For editing C++, it is fine, but you'll need a script or to 'ssh' in
to invoke make. It also has the ability to issue 'git' commands in
the window, as long as they don't need to bring up an editor. I'm not
sure if/when that'll be fixed. If you just ssh over, getting a
running cmake should be no problem. The distro that ships with it
includes autotools.
- Is there any kind of SDK for accessing low-level hardware?
Linux.
I am starting to work up a beginners-only-focused scripting library
http://github.com/jadonk/bonescript. I've heard of others already
starting C++ libraries that provide an Arduino-like API.