> Microchip's ICE goes for $1525.00, plus the cost ($450) for each processor
> module you'd like to interface to.  Not a cost I'd spend on a piece of
hobby
> equipment for one feature (or lack of) which seemingly might be able to be
> implemented directly on the chip in a single flag bit.  I need a better
> solution than this.

I think you still don't get it.  Microchip does not, nor should not, care
what you or anyone else that buys ten processors wants.  Anyone who can't
justify the ICE for PIC development is obviously never going to cause them
any meaningful sales.

Think of it another way.  How many more PICs will they sell if they
implement such a feature?  You're already using PICs, so probably none to
you.  They still have the best environment for hobbiest out there so they
will sell the same number to the same hobbiests.  Either way that number is
so small to be irrelevant.  Now think of how many PICs they might NOT sell
if they had to charge a little more for each one.  Price is extremely
important when the volumes are in the millions.  Just 1 cent more costs the
buyer $10,000.  That's how much engineering the customer can afford to save
a penny.  If Motorola, TI, Intel, etc, has a processor that can do the job
for a penny less that's what will get used.  Keeping the per unit cost down
is Microchip's true competitive pressure.  The development tools only need
to be non-prohibitive for serious customers (who by the way get a discount
on them anyway).  Microchip correctly realizes that good support is more
important than a few hundred dollars on development tools cost, although the
Microchip tools are priced quite reasonably.


********************************************************************
Olin Lathrop, embedded systems consultant in Littleton Massachusetts
(978) 742-9014, olin@embedinc.com, http://www.embedinc.com

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