EDB9315A Software
Microsoft's Windows CE provides a robust development and deployment platform. Windows CE's Platform Builder allows custom configurations to be easily developed and downloaded to the EDB9315A. It can take advantage of the Ethernet interface, too.
The Linux platform is a little less flashy when it comes to bundled development tools, but Cirrus Logic has done a good job of providing a complete package, including the OPIE (Open Palm Integrated Environment). OPIE (Fig. 3) was originally targeted at the Palm hardware, but it now runs on a wide range of systems including the EDB9315A. It runs atop Debian Linux with a 2.6 kernel, and that also supports the BusyBox utility. The system starts using the Redboot boot loader.
All source code and binaries are available on Cirrus Logic's website. I did not have any trouble rebuilding the system under Linux; it should be a relatively simple exercise for anyone familiar with embedded Linux. Novice Linux developers can simply use the prebuilt binaries or take a little time to read and follow the directions. In general, enabling device drivers, rebuilding, and downloading the updated operating system image will not be a problem. Developers looking to include custom drivers will need a bit more expertise, especially if the JTAG interface comes into play.
The Linux system I worked with included hard disk support, USB support, Ethernet support and VGA support. I didn't have an LCD panel, so I was not able to check out the touchscreen and LCD support — but if the other drivers are any indication, the task should be no more difficult than plugging in the hardware, making a few text changes to the configuration file, making the new system and downloading the image. All this can be done without resorting to JTAG.
Application debugging can be done remotely using GDB. I used it from within Eclipse, the open source development platform, running on another system connected to the development board via Ethernet. With the proper configuration you can even mount a remote disk. This is handy when doing cross platform development, since the newly made application is immediately available for execution on the target.
The caveat I need to mention is that I have done this Linux exercise before, so I didn't run into any surprises. This is mostly due to Cirrus Logic's packaging. All the latest sources, documents and executables are available on the website. Not having to look for extra components on the Internet to get the basic system running is a great time saver. I was able to do application development within an afternoon. In fact, learning about OPIE will take longer, if that is a requirement. Of course, many applications will not use such a framework, so your mileage may vary.
The online forums are a good source of assistance. Complete schematics and board layout files can be downloaded without charge.
Overall, the EDB9315A is an impressive platform. It is fast enough and expandable to let it handle a wide range of applications. While most developers will utilize Windows CE or Linux, the platform can handle any number of operating systems and many of the popular ones are already in use with the EP9315.
For more information and details, check out ARM, BusyBox, Cirrus Logic, IAR, OPIE (Open Palm Integrated Environment), and RedBoot.