>   2) Whats the best alternative for 16F84 now-a-days.

The 16F88 is nice in that it's pin-compatible with the '84 and has  
quite a few peripherals (like an internal oscillator) that can make  
setup easier.  And, since the '84 has typically been the de-facto  
educational PIC, a jumping up to the 88 is nice. Watch out, though,  
the sheer amount of multiplexing that's going on in all of the pins  
can cause some problems, too.

The 16F877A is often the development chip of choice because it has  
lots of pins and more peripherals.  Again, it all depends on what  
you're doing and how you want to go about it.

As a hobbyist (and for small projects at work), I keep around the  
most versatile chips of each series, and begin programming projects  
with them.  If it turns out that I want a smaller package or a  
different feature set, then I'll go after that.  But I'm typically  
very content with the 16F88 for the small footprint, the 16F877A for  
the pins, and the 18F2620/4620 for heavier lifting.

Matt

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