Have a look at this page for one answer to your question:

http://www.ros.org/wiki/ROS/Introduction#Goals

In general, I think that developing a ROS node is easier initially, but
that you need to put more thought into your design to avoid long-term
complications. A Player driver, on the other hand, is less likely to
suffer from initial design choices, but may be limited by Player's
capabilities in the long term.

There is a tutorial on the ROS wiki about how to write nodes, and you
can copy the example driver in Player for writing a Player driver.

In your situation, I would write a small library that interfaces to your
driver and provides a nice API for interacting with your robot directly:
setting motor speeds, getting the latest IR readings, and so on. Then
write a Player driver that uses the library to provide access to your
robot via Player. If, in the future, you find that Player is not meeting
your needs, it's then fairly easy to write a ROS node that wraps your
library in the same way as the Player driver.

Geoff


On 10/06/10 16:52, Anaré wrote:
> Hello!
> 
> I'm Anterma. I'm new in this mailing list.
> I've a small robot with sensors (for example, IR) and motors.
> I want to work with my robot using a robot operating system, like Player
> or ROS. I don't know which one choose.
> I used to work with Player 2.0.5. I changed erratic driver and made it to
> work with my own protocol.
> Now I want to develop my own Player driver or ROS driver.
> Can you help me?
> What do you think?
> Is easier to develop a Player driver or a ROS driver?
> Do you know if there are some documentation about how to develop a Player
> driver?
> Do you know if there are some documentation about how to develop a ROS
> driver?
> If you where in my situation, which oen do you choose?
> 
> Thank you,
> 
> Anterma