Processors
Here is a list of different processor families, with miscellaneous notes for development information:
See also Hardware Hacking for a list of systems that include these processors.
ARM
See ARM website and the Wikipedia ARM article for information about the ARM architecture and processor family.
From the Linux perspective, there are 2 very different kinds of ARM chips:
- ARM devices that include a MMU, and can run standard Linux
- ARM devices without a MMU, which cannot run standard Linux. However, they can run uClinux. The Linux/Microcontroller project is a port of Linux to systems without a Memory Management Unit (MMU), such as the ARM7TDMI and the Microblaze. ( http://uclinux.org/ ).
(FIXME: indicate whether or not each chip has a MMU)
Some major ARM platforms/SOCs are:
- DaVinci from Texas Instruments
- OMAP - by TI
- i.MX - by FreeScale
- Freescale's GIT repository for i.MX Linux support is at: http://opensource.freescale.com
- Info about this repository, as of April 2007 is at: http://www.spinics.net/lists/arm-kernel/msg39771.html
- Freescale's GIT repository for i.MX Linux support is at: http://opensource.freescale.com
- ARM RealView platforms - by ARM Ltd.
- Linux BSP and resources available at http://www.arm.com/linux with associated GIT tree
- XScale/PXA - by Marvell (formerly Intel) -- has MMU
- Linux BSPs available in mainline kernel or from Marvell web-site (for Monahans)
- Orion - by Marvell
- Linux BSP for Orion-2 SoC available on ARM Linux Mailing List.
- Philips LPC21xx series of ARM processors are currently the lowest-cost ARM processors available. But they have no MMU.
- JuiceBox uses a ARM S3C44B0X. It runs uClinux.
- Atmel AT91RM9200 -- has MMU.
MIPS
need info here
SH
need info here
x86
need info here