Microprocessor development equipment

The biggest investment that any microprocessor user is going to make in his development project is his prototyping/development equipment. It could also be an expensive mistake. Even once the microprocessor is selected, the engineer is not off the hook. Which of the manufacturer´s development-system configurations should he use? Is it worth the extra to buy a disc peripheral? These questions cannot be answered simply, but this article puts some arguments forward and gives some examples of the types of equipment available.