[avr-gcc-list] Programming Circuit for AVRDUDE

[Donovan Parks]

Hello,

I am brand new to the AVR scene and am in the process of trying to setup a
development environment.  I have avr-gcc up and running and have used AVR
Studio 4 to simulate some simple programs.  Today I ordered my first AVR (an
ATmega8L) and would love to have a programmer setup when it arrives.

My question: is there a simple (i.e. something that could be built on a
breadboard) programming circuit that can be used to program AVR's.  I have
read through the AVRDUDE manual and it seems promising, but does not contain
any information on the circuits themselves.  Are there major limitations to
programming AVR's in this manner (as opposed to using an STK500)?  What will
I not be able to do (there is some meantion of certain fuses not being
accessible in parallel or serial programming modes)?

Can I use AVRDUDE with an appropriate circuit to program in a bootloader?

Thanks,
Donovan