@AndrewR wrote:
was wondering if I could just go straight to my target board
Yes, you can.
However, the fact that you need to ask the questions suggests that it would be better not to.
The whole point is to start on a well-known platform where all these questions are already taken care of, so that you can get used to the products, the tools, the environment, etc.
Then, once you've gained that experience & familiarity, you will be better placed to face the unknowns of a custom board...
@AndrewR wrote:
Asking the more experienced people here, is it just safer and quicker all round to go with the NUCLEO for s/w dev, and then flash the binary to the target?
I would strongly suggest that you start on the Nucleo board.
That doesn't mean that you have to complete the entire development on the Nucleo - just until you've got sufficient experience to move on to the custom target.
I will typically be using both Dev Boards (eg, Nucleo) and custom hardware throughout a Project.
Typically, Dev Boards give much better access for test equipment, etc - so are easier for trying things out, prior to moving to custom hardware.
