Well, I have *never* had any issues in the fews years that the XC
compiler line has been out (I use free). At this point they are quite
stable and mature, there is no reason fear the compiler. I think your
going to have more trouble tackling the language and its specific
"flavor" of error messages than dealing with the compiler.  Luckily
you have access to many great resources (including piclist) for that
initial learning curve and troubleshooting.

I recommend downloading XC8 and MPLABX and following one of the many
great tutorials out there (google is your friend). Also, if you don't
have one already, I would strongly recommend getting a pickit 3 or
other comparable programmer instead of some of the cheap stuff from
Ebay. Its worth it.

Good luck!
Jason White

On Sat, Mar 1, 2014 at 2:16 PM, Josh Koffman <joshybear@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I'm not looking to start a flame war about which compiler is better
> here, so constructive comments only please!
>
> I have been working with PICs for a long time, but so far, only in
> assembly. I would like to start using C, for a few reasons. I have
> been emboldened by a few C courses I have taken, and I think I might
> be able to actually do it. Plus it's the only way I'll be able to do
> some of the more complex projects I'd like to see happen. In
> particular, I'd like to use a DSP from Analog Devices in an upcoming
> project, and I need to boot the DSP from the PIC. Trying to do that in
> assembly would be extremely hard.
>
> I like that Microchip has been working to unify its compiler
> offerings, and in an ideal world I'd like to stick with XC. It seems
> like it should be one of the easiest to get support on. I generally
> stick with 18F processors, so I'd be looking at XC8.
>
> What I would love to hear are experiences from others who have used
> the "Free" versions of the XC compilers. I know that optimization
> isn't stellar, and I accept that for a free product I'd have to take
> some negatives. If I was really pressed, I could rationalize the
> Standard version, but Pro is not feasible for my level. I know that I
> can do a trial of Pro, but I'd like to avoid that if possible - what
> would I do if I wanted to add a feature 6 months from now?
>
> So, if you've used XC Free, how did it go?
>
> Josh
> --
> A common mistake that people make when trying to design something
> completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete
> fools.
>         -Douglas Adams
> --
> http://www.piclist.com/techref/piclist PIC/SX FAQ & list archive
> View/change your membership options at
> http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist



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Jason White
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