Hi Folks,

I just downloaded the latest version of MPLAB and tried it out.  I really
wanted it for the integrated Simulator, so my initial comments will pretty
much be totally directed toward this.

1.  MP-SIM does not run proplerly in the WIN-OS2 Session of OS/2 Warp.
MPASMWIN and the Editor and other functions of MPLAB seem to work okay, but
MP-SIM does not.  I killed about an hour trying different options until I
shut down OS/2 and booted Windows 3.11.

2.  Is there any way to customize the register display?  I'm asking this
from two different perspectives.  The first is just to display the Registers
(RAM and otherwise) that you want, rather then them all and having to scroll
through them.  The second is to allow the user to specify one single format
for the Register contents, rather than show every different (decimal,
binary, and hex) type.  I like to display the data differently depending on
the Register.  I may be weird, but I liked to create custom MPSIM.INI Files
for each project I was working on; I found it made monitoring what was going
on a lot easier.

3.  The Processor Options (ie type) are not saved with the Project, is it
possible (in the next upgrade) to include this as well.

4.  What are the "PPLUS301.EXE" and "PMSTR300" files in the .zip file used
for?  I presume that "PPLUS301" is an upgrade for the PICStart Plus Package?

5.  When will an updated manual be available?  I do have the current manual,
but I would like to see one with the updated features included.

6.  Will there be a separate MP-SIM Manual made available?  This would help
avoid a lot of the problems I had initially.  A tutorial (in "help", like
the code assembly tutorial) would be nice as well.

7.  Will there be a PICStart B and C Interface to MPLAB?  Or, is there an
interface for other Programmer Software?


Now, having said all this, I have to say that I LOVE MPLAB!  (So much so, I
just ordered a PicStart Plus for pick up at the Seminar next week.)

Features that I like:

1.  In the editor, you actually use a mono-spaced font (my biggest complaint
about "Write"-like editors for Windows that use a porportionally spaced font
which looks crappy for code).

2.  The executing code can be related to in the source (I hated MPSIM's
single line interface).

3.  Projects and only having to start one program from Windows.

4.  Basic Register Contents on Bottom Line during Simulation Execution.
(Including Processor Execution (Carry, Zero, Digit Carry) Flags.)

I'm really pleased at how well everything goes together with this program.
I have only tried it out on the "Tutor.asm" that it comes with and an
assembler file that I created, but I am definitely moving to it from MPASM
and MPSIM and the editor I was using.

For the Microchip people:

I'm really impressed with the level of support you give for your products.
In my job, I work with other Micro-Controller manufacturers and the support
and tools that you provide are defintely head and shoulders above them!

Myke
Myke

"We're Starfleet officers, weird is part of the job."

Capt. Catherine Janeway