Operating System Compatibility with Programming ARM - System Setup Requirements / Selecting Desktop

Thread Starter

gmwillis

Joined Nov 24, 2018
3
I'm just getting started trying to setup my first programming environment for embedded projects at home. I'm novice, so please bear with any technical-terming-torture I give you and please ask questions about anything unclear or correct my misuses of terms in replies. It will help me learn and grow here of course. Thank you.
I've selected a startup board (STM32F0-Discovery Development Board); but I have not yet purchased a desktop computer (what I have chosen to use for my setup). Once I purchase a computer I can get going on projects. Selecting one that I won't have to return or want to upgrade/change is what I hope to find help with in this post. So if you can remember, try to imagine yourself just starting out again with virgin knowledge about everything essentially (from scratch) and keep that in mind with your reply.

A few things come to mind for me here (as I shop desktops and processors) that stop me from being able to pull the trigger on purchasing a computer to get going.
1) On the back of the development kit packaging, it says, "System Requirements: Windows OS (XP, 7, 8), Linux 64bit or OSX".
2) Most up-to-date desktops come with Windows 10 Pro 64 bit OS.
3) Windows 7 support is coming to an end soon.
4) I've heard that not all processors have the ability to run Windows 7

So I'm looking for help clarifying a few things that should help me select proper machine architecture to be able to setup a environment for programming various microcontrollers (PIC, ARM, 8051, etc.). Lastly, I want to start with this Development Board specifically for reasons not worth going into. It's ARM.

Question 1: If a computer will run Windows 10 Pro 64 bit, it will run Windows 7 Pro 64 bit...yes?

Question 2: After minimal research, I think I've figured out that if the size of the instruction set of a given processor is 64 bit, then it will be able to run any 64 bit OS...? Is this true? The same corresponding relationship would hold true to processors with a 32 bit instructions size and compatible OS's...yes?

Question 3: Should I not be concerned with finding a desktop that will run Windows 7 for this specific board and instead, look for another board that can be used with Windows 10? (Support for Windows 7 ends soon anyways...)

One last thing that confuses me is that if Windows 10 and Windows 7 (Pro 64 bit) are both 64 bit OS's, then why do the system requirements of the STM32F0-Discovery Development Board exclude Windows 10 from its list of compatible OS's?

Specific Suggestions for desktops or desktop parameters/specs favorable for setting up a microcontroller programming environment are very welcome also.


Thank you again.
 

simozz

Joined Jul 23, 2017
125
Hello,

Welcome to AAC,

The Integrated Development Environment (IDE), which runs on the desktop computer, is needed to flash the memory of the micro-controller (on your STM32F0 board).

For STM32 boards you can use Atollic or openSTM32 IDEs, both based on Eclipse.

Get your PC, install Windows or Linux, download the IDE and get your hands dirty.
IDE Linux versions work great, Windows version too.

Regards,
s.
 

MrChips

Joined Oct 2, 2009
30,714
The word length of the target MCU has nothing to do with the word length of the workstation. It is a question of whether or not the toolset runs on that computer.

I program almost everything from 8-bit MCU to STM ARM chips on a variety of computers running Win XP to Win 10. I have not encountered any compatibility issues. Most of the toolsets have upgraded to 64-bit systems. My toolsets on Win XP still run ok.
 

Thread Starter

gmwillis

Joined Nov 24, 2018
3
The word length of the target MCU has nothing to do with the word length of the workstation. It is a question of whether or not the toolset runs on that computer.

I program almost everything from 8-bit MCU to STM ARM chips on a variety of computers running Win XP to Win 10. I have not encountered any compatibility issues. Most of the toolsets have upgraded to 64-bit systems. My toolsets on Win XP still run ok.
What do you mean by toolset?
 

Thread Starter

gmwillis

Joined Nov 24, 2018
3
Thank you guys.

For anyone still interested, however, I should've clarified that the 64 bit processor I'm talking about in the initial/original thread post is the processor of the desktop, not the development board. Sorry for creating confusion or frustration.
 
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