I've been using the CCS compiler for 5 years, and I am now evaluating the
Hitec C compiler.  You will *NOT* be able to port code at liberty between
these compilers, there are definitely some big differences:

1.  CCS has a lot of handy library functions to access special features of
PICs, such as A/D.  In Hitec, you have to roll your own.  On the other hand,
in Hitec, you know how and why they work. CCS' library functions work most
of the time, not all of the time.

2.  CCS and Hitec do not assign bytes, words, etc in the same way.  In CCS,
a short is one bit, in Hitec a short is 16 bits.  In CCS a long is 16 bits,
in Hitec a Long in 32 bits.  Except for Char, they don't agree about any of
these names.

3. CCS and Hitec implement the printf function in radically different ways.
The short answer is Hitech uses a *LOT* more code to implement this funciton
in a PIC, for various valid reasons.  So you end up never using the printf
function in a PIC with Hitec, because it gobbles up 1K of program memory.

4. Hitec is more strictly ANSI compliant than CCS.  Sometimes this is good,
sometimes not (See #3)

5.  CCS is caps insensitive by default, encouraging bad habits.  Hitec caps
sensitive and you cannot turn it off (grrrrrrr.)

6. Hitec has a reputation of being more stable than CCS.  My experience with
CCS is that of "patch-du-jour".  It is a fact that CCS has issued 51 version
revisions in the last 75 days, and this is modus operandi.  I have had
serious problems with some of their library functions, and ended up rolling
my own.

7. CCS costs $100 for the PCM compiler, plus $100 for the PCB compiler (you
need both), plus $100 each compiler per year for updates, which are
mandatory because the first pair of $100 compilers were fulla bugs, or about
$800 total over three years.  Hitec C costs $850 once.

--Lawrence

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