Bob, I couldn't afford Hi-tech's products and I really like Microchip's=20 IDE. What puzzles me is that X worked fine six months ago. I did a clean=20 install of XP and it still won't work. It locks up the whole computer.=20 MPLAB 8.x works but it is crude compared to X. I'll have to look at UltraEdit. I wonder what I could use to do the=20 compiling that is free. I like C much better than Assembly. What do you=20 mean about wiggle pins? I don't understand. What program are you using=20 to read and display the serial data? HyperTerm? I know about AVR's. These are made by Atmel? Does TI make the XMEGA and=20 the Msp430? It looks like I'll be getting in to the Arduino soon. Yep, it is too bad about the bad guys ruining for those of us who=20 are honest. I don't like the on-line activation scheme either. I'm a=20 hacker and I may change a computer configuration every six weeks or so.=20 If you make to many changes or to severe a change you have to reactivate=20 the system. This can be very irritating. I just loaded the Atmel IDE on to my system. I have looked at it a=20 little bit but not closely. I'll have to get me an Arduino first.=20 Hi-tech was charging you a yearly maintenance fee? I don't like that I=20 one bit. I don't use any of the pay for antivirus programs. I have a=20 router connected between my network and my cable modem. I then run=20 Spybot-Search and Destroy which is truly free. Do not use Adaware. It is=20 infected. It really messed my system up. It was another reason that I=20 did a clean install. I still haven't completely finished repairing my=20 system. What is the Energia package? I really appreciate the help that you=20 have given me. Thanks, rich! P.S. I understand that you are just stating what works best for you. If=20 I didn't have so many games that require windows I would switch over to=20 Linux or AmigaDos. rich! On 7/2/2014 6:12 PM, Bob Blick wrote: > retagging this since it seems worthy enough for [EE]. Almost [PIC] but > it leads away(astray?). > > On Wed, Jul 2, 2014, at 03:24 PM, Richard R. Pope wrote: >> What do you use to do your compiling, linking, and debugging with? >> What are using in place of PICs? >> On 7/2/2014 5:18 PM, Bob Blick wrote: >>> I haven't used MPLAB in years and never used MPLAB X. I write code in a= n >>> editor and compile and link it with batch files. I am moving away from >>> PICs and don't do any new designs with them. > I edit in Windows using UltraEdit and I link and compile with HiTech C. > For debugging I wiggle pins or talk out a serial port. Usually the stuff > I do either won't work in a simulator, since it's all controlling stuff, > or it really needs to run in real time so breakpoints would make real > stuff break. > > But as I said, I'm moving away from PICs and only do updates on legacy > designs. Now if I need to do anything 5 volts I use AVRs. For 3.3 volt > stuff it's XMEGA or MSP430. > > I kept using PICs way longer than I think I should have just out of > habit. When I started using them it was 18 years ago and they were the > only thing available in the small-fry, low budget space. > > When HiTech went to an online activation scheme it ticked me off. They > aren't jerks about it, but I just object to that model for anti-piracy. > Their original method was self-contained. > > So that's want prompted me to look elsewhere. Now Microchip owns HiTech > and is trying to harmonize all their compilers and the libraries and > sample code is... interesting. > > I still just edit and link and compile, but I do use Atmel Studio > because the updates of GCC for XMEGA parts(which are still rather new) > aren't fully in sync between the Atmel and pure GCC versions. It's the > opposite with MSP430 - MSPGCC is mature and works well, the version in > TI's Code Composer Studio isn't complete. By the way, if you don't like > trying to compile MSPGCC under Windows, a full MSPGCC toolchain is in > the Energia package, ready to use. > > Anyway, now my tools are free, I don't have to pay yearly maintenance, > and I like my choices of parts. > > I do still use PICs in little home projects, because I have some parts > and want to use them up. > > I know Microchip has some new parts that are good but I changed lanes > and it would take something major to change back. The XMEGAs are quite > nice and very affordable. > > By the way, I'm not doing a "PIC vs something else" thing. Microchip > makes good parts and there's no reason you shouldn't use them. The whole > system of parts, programmers, emulators and compilers is so involved > that you can't just say one architecture is better that another. PICs > were the right thing for me for many years. > > Best regards, Bob > > --=20 http://www.piclist.com/techref/piclist PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist .