I want to get started with AVR, and I noticed that the Sparkfun AVR Programmer seems to be the cheapest. Does anyone know where I can find a list of AVR Microcontrollers it supports?
I have this one which seems
I have this one which seems better than the sparkfun one and almost the same price, you can use AVRstudio with this one http://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/1300
The pololu one can be used as a usb to serial converter too
It looks like you have to pioneer with this one, as Sparkfun claims compatibility with only the mega 168 and 328. I also read the tiny2313 is compatible. You will probably have good luck with tinys and megas, but that is presumptious of me. That being said, I think the 328 is a good platform for a lot of projects (32k flash and available as a 28pin dip) and I found them cheap at Arrow (found using findchips.com).
The pololu programmer can also be used for serial communication on a second COM port, as well as a slow oscilloscope from 0-5v using free software. I personally use AVR studio and an mkII programmer with excellent results.