I understand that it may be handy for you, but it may be a debugging nightmare for your users, and it may generate a lot of support calls.
One of the main driving forces behind my efforts is to reduce the number of support phone calls, by significantly reducing the complexity of getting a board up and running.
Is there some easy way for me to specify personalized config options at build time?
Use a script to auto-install your board. Expect is a great tool.
Expect is Linux specific. I want to be able to do things using tools as simple as Hyperterminal, or even without serial line at all.
at least make sure that these settings never go out to a customer,
i. e. make sure they are fixed during production (probably when you save serial numbers etc.). But IMHO it's definitely better not to have these build in at all.
I agree, but if every board has the same flash image, how do we specify a different MAC address for each one?
Ummm... all Freescale reference boards that make their way to a customer run in a "public environment".
If you, like me, dont deliver any boards, then you do not have this problem. It is the reponsibility of the user of the S/W to ensure that it is used in a restricted environment like production or development where the MAC address can be selected at random.
Best Regards Ulf Samuelsson