RISC-V takes steps to minimize fragmentation

What matters is that stuff is binary compatible between RISC-V implementations.

That means there shouldn't be two different groups of people implementing the same instruction differently. Any unimplemented instruction must either be trappable (so that it can be emulated on software) or have a feature flag (so that compilers can produce a separate bit of code for CPU's without support).

If I were RISC-V, I would push hard for any binary made for any RISC-V machine must run correctly on any other. But performance doesn't matter.

I'd also require anyone implementing hardware extensions also release software and pseudocode of what each extension does, so that all other people without the extension can emulate it.

Sadly that's far from true today.

Is there cheap reference hardware yet? The micro controller boards are fine for what they are but they aren't very useful for porting desktop or server apps that require a full Linux or BSD system.

The BeagleV was exactly what I wanted, but they kept playing around with the prices and then cancelled it. Last I heard some company is trying to rebrand and salvage it. I haven't heard much else. Still can't find them for sale.