Using gcc for ARM with my own makefiles and in some cases, even linker script has been one of the best sources of hard earned knowledge about embedded developme

Using gcc for ARM with my own makefiles and in some cases, even linker script has been one of the best sources of hard earned knowledge about embedded development I posess. gcc/openocd/gdb for ARM Cortex'es and avr-gcc/avrdude/avr-gdb is basically one of the most consistent toolchains available for a wide range of microcontrollers. It's not terribly hard to learn (hard to master though) and you're not locked into particular IDE. I only wish I had read a guide like this before :)