John A. Craft <PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU> wrote:

> > Microchip has advised that it will not be updating its MPLABC
> > compiler for the midrange devices, and recommends that its
> > customers use the HI-TECH compiler instead
>
> Does anyone find this annoying?  Having just purchased MPLABC for
> use with the Midrange products, I certainly do.

    John:

    Naturally, I can sympathize with your situation.

    However... While Microchip's timing is, umm, unfortunate, it IS
    nice to hear that they've decided to get out of the compiler
    business and focus their development-tools efforts on core
    products like emulators, simulators, and assemblers.

    Don't get me wrong... I saw an MPLAB-C 2.0 demo back in July and
    was very impressed.  It's just that, if Microchip can see that
    they won't be able to support the product adequately, it's best
    that they let us know NOW, rather than sometime after it's
    introduced.

    Of course, people who bought the MPLAB-C version 1.x with the
    expectation that version 2.0 would support the whole range of
    PICs will be disappointed and (perhaps) angry... As I said, I
    can sympathize.

> I beta tested the Hi-Tech C compiler, and found it to be a solid
> compiler, but went for the Microchip standard.  I didn't really
> understand the real difference between MPC and MPLABC, but along
> with Microchips' promised 2.0 upgrade (SOON), I figured that was
> best.  Now where do I stand, the compilers will NOT compile each
> others code, and what about my picmaster, and mplab, what are the
> ramifications here?

    Hi-Tech C and Bytecraft's MPC both generate the ".COD" files
    necessary for source-level debugging with MPLAB and PIC-Master,
    and it's possible to get both compilers to compile code written
    for MPLAB-C by making relatively-small changes to your source
    code.

> Exactly who gave up at Microchip, is ByteCraft going next? (Hey
> Walter you LISTENING?)

    Walter may respond personally, but I, as an oustide observer,
    don't see Bytecraft EVER "giving up" on MPC.

    At the moment, MPC is the only solid compiler that generates code
    for the ENTIRE PIC family... With Hi-Tech's 17Cxx support still
    in development and MPLAB-C 2.0's schedule apparently slipping at
    the rate of one month per month, MPC's appeal to people who need
    17Cxx compatibility has never been stronger.

    -Andy

=== Andrew Warren - fastfwd@ix.netcom.com
=== Fast Forward Engineering - Vista, California
=== http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/2499