Just so you know that my question was not one of those "hit and run" postings, I'm reading every post and trying to soak it all in. So far, it's interesting that Richard and Mike have completely opposing views, and that both seem reasonable. Maybe that's just because they have different perspectives.

For the record, this is strictly a learning exercise for me. I don't have any real projects in mind, nor any motivation to actually wire up a bunch of stuff on a prototype board. Given that, it seems to me like it would be handy to get an evaluation board like the one suggested by Mike that does have some switches and LEDs and whatnot already on it, even though they would certainly be in the way for somebody trying to add more hardware of their own. I also liked the price. I was thinking the cost of entry might be much higher.

On the other hand, it's discouraging to hear that that particular board isn't supported by decent software and/or documentation. Are there others that are better in this regard?

The one thing everyone seems to agree on is the Cypress book. Can somebody give the title of this fine tome?

Thanks,

-- Russ