For developers who mainly do application level work on top of an existing software stack, here are some practices that work best:
Use a pre-built toolchain that contains the software stack itself. Then, develop the application code on top of the stack. This method works well for small numbers of relatively isolated applications.
When possible, use the Yocto Project plug-in for the Eclipse™ IDE and other pieces of Application Development Technology (ADT). For more information, see the "Application Development Workflow" section as well as the Yocto Project Application Developer's Guide.
Keep your cross-development toolchains
updated.
You can do this through provisioning either as new
toolchain downloads or as updates through a package
update mechanism using opkg
to provide updates to an existing toolchain.
The exact mechanics of how and when to do this are a
question for local policy.
Use multiple toolchains installed locally into different locations to allow development across versions.