I have just received a beagleboard, flyswatter JTAG, 4GB SD card, USB ethernet adapter, and USB hub. Everything I should need to get started with embedded development.
I created the proper filesystem setup on the SD card as per these instructions, and installed koen’s demo image for the Ångstrom embedded linux distribution.
After hooking up the Flyswatter to the serial connector through the Flyswatter/Beagleboard adapter I got a boot prompt. My TV is complaining that it doesn’t recognize the input format, so I’m probably going to have to figure out a custom modeline in the xorg.conf, but I can live with a command prompt for now.
For those unfamiliar, the Beagle Board is a platform for embedded development based on Texas Instruments’ OMAP3530 System-on-chip board. Basically it’s a computer three inches square. It has handy input and output connectors for easy experimentation. Stay tuned for updates.