On Tue, Mar 4, 2014 at 6:19 PM, AK <00@case.edu> wrote:

> Not sure if anyone has mentioned this yet, but the xc8 and xc16 (C30)
> compilers are built on gnu code and are available open source.

Are you sure about this for xc8?  My understanding was that xc8 was
based on the Hi-Tech C compiler.

>  If you are
> doing coding that does not make use of their proprietary libraries, you c=
an
> use the free open source compiler version (with optimization) without
> owning the paid compiler. Not too long ago I requested and received a cop=
y
> of the xc16 source snapshot from the end of 2013. If you are interested i=
n
> solving the riddle on compiling it let me know. I think you have to use a
> linux cross-compiler.

>From what I have been able to gather, there are two problems here:

The first is that while Microchip does appear to provide all of the
source code to the optimizers (to meet the requirements of the GPL
license) they do not provide any instructions or even any build tools
to actually build a working compiler without a rather severe time
investment.

The second is that you are not permitted to use any of Microchip's
linker files or libraries with anything other than the compilers they
provide.  Thus, even if you do manage to build a working optimizing
compiler, you will need to develop all of your own PIC-specific
support files to use it.

I am not 100% certain on this either, so any clarification from
someone who knows better would certainly be appreciated here as well.

-p.
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