[Basic Stamp limitations, including...]

    You also can't get to internal RAM / registers to do anything that the
    language won't let you directly.

I doubt that there are many things left over that aren't in use by the
basic interpretter environment.  Unlike some basics, the stamp basic
is relatively well-aimed at embedded programming.


    Certainly it has its place but I don't believe it deserves the
    popularity it as ot the inflated price.  The "plug in and go" hardware
    is indeed worth something extra but surely not what it's sold at?

The price isn't really THAT bad.  I'm not entirely sure of the
popularity of the "DIP scale" parts (BS-1C, BS-2), but with something
like the the original Stamp or Scott Edward's "Counterfeit stamp",
you're talking about getting a full reprogrammable computer with
crystal, voltage regulator, and PC Board (and development environment,
even if it's "free") for about $30.  The closest alternative in "plain
PICs" is probably something like a SIMMStick with 16F84 and associated
parts, which sells for what - about $23?  That's about a $7 difference,
which is worth what?  10 minutes of an engineer's time?

BillW