> From: John Dammeyer <johnd@ISLANDNET.COM>
> [cut]
> Some of it is hit and miss.  Think about it though;  the underlying machine
> your compiling code for.  The C language implimented for a PIC as you get it
> is nowhere near real C and can't ever be that.  True,  an implimentation
> using pseudo heaps and stacks is possible for passing huge arrays and lots
> of local variables but then you still only have a few bytes of RAM
> available.  No complete implimentation of an HLL like C can run with so
> little code and data space.  That was one of the first things I had to
> re-orient myself to.  I wasn't writing in C I was writing in a simple
> Algorithmic language that had much of the syntax of C.  Only then did I
> become more productive and have fewer problems.
>
> For example,  It's just not worth passing parameters to functions in most
> cases.  The two byte size parameters are immediately placed into the W and
> the FSR, then your function is called and then inside your function put into
> the local RAM storage.  Except you can't overlay that RAM with any other
> locals so it's gone forever.  Takes less code to just set the parameters
> into overlayed locals yourself and then call the function ala assembler.
> Not as neat but takes less space.

...all of which ties in nicely with my usual recommendation to stick
with assembler for small microcontrollers - especially the ones with
less RAM than a BULL paddock.

Tell me, what is the point of interposing another layer of inscrutable
software between you and the machine?  The PIC has a wonderful RISC
flavour; you can learn all its instructions in a few hours.  Better
to spend time doing this rather than bashing your head against a wall
trying to figure out what the compiler has done to your nice algorithm.

Also, tell me what is the point of using a language which is so nobbled
by limitations of the machine?  C without a stack, heap, float, qsort()
and int ((**)(void ***)) pointers is like (to quote a well known
Aussie song) a pub with no beer.

I say this in spite of having written over 100,000 lines of C (and
loving it).  However, horses for courses and the horse for the PIC
course is Microchip Assembler, of course -- no offence to all the
compiler developers out there (you're doing a great job fellas,
don't give up on it just yet).  Naturally, the assembler has to be
the dinkum one - not the yucky Intel lookalike or whatever it is.

Regards,
SJH
Canberra, Australia