Issac,

I agree with all you say except for the "More compact code"
The source code may be more compact, but the object code will NOT
always be more compact.  Generally, at best, the compiler code will be
the same size.  Typically, it will be larger.  And on ocassion, it will be =

smaller
due to optomizations.  But those cases are few and far between in my =

experience.

But, the bottom line is, you prefer HLL's because you are trying to make a
living at this.  I, on the other hand, have a day job, and PIC programming =

is a moonlighting
job for me.  Don't get me wrong, I do real programming on real PIC's, and =

generate some
sophiscated systems.  But if I lost all my PIC programming jobs, I could =

still live as I have
my day job.  At least I still had it as of last week.

I have been working with PIC's since about 1990 or 1991.  The lineup of =

parts offered
by Microchip was a total of 4.  The assembler was DOS based.  The Simulator =

was a seperate app.
Etc, etc.  My first programmer was a homebuilt unit connected to a parallel =

port.  And I still have
every development tool for them.  Maybe that's not important to anyone, but =

my point is, I have
been working with PIC's almost since their initial release after the sale o=
f =

the PIC dept of General Instruments.
I have been using assembly all that time, with a few jobs where I had to us=
e =

an HLL due to the customer requirements.
But for the most part, I have been using assembly for the better part of 18 =

or so years.  I am familiar with it, and I don't
think the HLL's for PIC's is the panacea they are cracked up to be, so I =

stick with assembly.

And anyone who wants to or needs to use an HLL has my blessing.


Jim




----- Original Message ----- =

From: "Isaac Marino Bavaresco" <isaacbavaresco@yahoo.com.br>
To: "Microcontroller discussion list - Public." <piclist@mit.edu>
Sent: Saturday, August 29, 2009 5:33 PM
Subject: Re: [PIC] C Compiler


Jim escreveu:
> All,
>
> Just a point of interest here and that is if you look at the output of a
> compiler, you'll see exactly what is explained here.
> Several Calls, Goto's, Labels, etc.  But that is necessary.  That's what =

> the
> PIC, (or any controller / uP) understands.
> And the source code lines in a "C" or "BASIC" program ultimately get
> converted into many assembly instructions,
> and ultimately into machine code.   So, it is easier to write one line of
> "C" for instance, and have the compiler worry about
>

The point here is exactly this: less code to write (faster), easier to
understand (and remember) and for others to understand too, less need
for comments, more compact code, simpler to port to other architectures
(when porting assembly code to a different line of processors,  many
times it may be easier to rewrite everything) and one can focus on the
problem rather than in the implementation.

> keeping track of everything and converting it to assembly/machine code.
> But, do you learn anything in this process?
>

Sometimes I learn more by understanding well the problem than diving
into the fine details of the assembly instructions. What will the OP
learn by writing the program in assembly language if he already knows it
well? If he learns a HLL to write the program, then he will learn a
little (or a lot) more than he knows now.

Is the OP planning to get stuck forever with PICs? If not, what will he
do with all the code he has written already?

I program in assembly as well (or badly) as I do in HLLs, but I=B4m trying
to make a living out of programming and if coding in C shortens the
development cycle and gives better quality code, then I go for it.


> Maybe, but not enough to justify using it in my opinion.
>
> Anyway, that's my input on this subject.
>
> Regards,
>
> Jim
>

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