Me, and just about every nerd, EE student, CS student, garage hobbyist etc
out there. I use it today anyway, with DOSEMU to run PICALC (runs fine)
and direct port access user-mode self-written driver for home-made
programmer.

I'd buy any Linux version of a toolkit including an IDE and assembler + C
capable to output OBJ format NOW provided it would be in the same price
range as 'cheap' tools of the same kind are for the PC DOS now.

There are a few MUSTS:

- No dongles
- No per-seat license
- Network capability must not be disabled
- Must accept that output in an open format is OBLIGATORY, even more so
than any programmer driver support. Intel OBJ format is fine.
- Must accept that external text editors etc be used.
- Must have an option or the possibility of running the output code
through an unspecified UNIX filter of any kind (in binary mode).
- X11 support not necessary, curses-based action with some X support for
running in an xterminal is ok by me.

This is imho very easily done, perhaps starting with an older version of
tools written for DOS terminal mode.

So, count me in, count me in. Who do I give my VISA card # to ?

Peter

PS: This is not just for PICs. Other popular micros used by the nerd
community include HC11 80X3[125] and ST62, as well as TMS320 and AVR. All
of these have had serious effort invested into tools by various people and
there are crude utilities that can be worked with, but a fully supported
integrated package for $$$ is HIGHLY timely imho. A modular type IDE with
compilers/assemblers to be added would be best imho.

PS2: Small bias warning: Red Hat is a Linux version that has taken off
considerably in the last time, with the undesirable side effect that many
new software packages for Linux require the Red Hat package manager to be
present, and give pure hell to anyone running another flavor of Linux,
when trying to install.

  I add to this that most serious developers/programmers/ISPs who use
Linux for real work I see here (not that it means much) DO NOT run Red
Hat, they run severely modified Slackware Linux (which has no Red Hat
package manager). Red Hat is more for end users, as more install-friendly
(ditto Caldera, Suse and others).

  In practice, a package for Slackware will be usable on Slackware and on
all the other flavors, and a package for any other flavor may not be
usable on any other flavor. There. Flame away Linuxers, I'm ready.

PS3: Please excuse my long email, and know that I've forwarded the message
to the local Linux User Group. Another adresses that this message may be
sent to is:

SVLUG - The Silicon Valley Linux User Group