Hi Matt, We are not the only ones and Microchip knows that. There are two categories:
1. Tools which use MPAsm as final compiler: - Proton Basic, Swordfish Basic, Pic Micro Pascal and maybe other which I don't know; 2. Tools which have their own compiler but rely on MPLab device files: - well, here are all which don't fit in the first category (including JALv2). Maybe hiding device files is a measure of protection in beta stage. But there are also enough signals that tell us the contrary. Personally, I don't understand why also the C compilers are not free tools, keeping in mind that are a big reason of adopting Microchip microcontrollers But it seems that the market for C compilers is huge, with great potential and is clear as crystal that Microchip want to harvest all the money from these fields. HiTech C compilers form an Australian company proved to be the best tools in the market (better than Microchip products) so Microchip acquired them. Microchip is selling now HiTech C compiler under his brand but "forgot" to improve it with USB stack (USB stack is in vogue, even more, is a must, having in mind the supremacy of USB PC ports). But I think that they are not selling very well now and, even more, the Lite versions of Microchip are "avoided" by many in favor of more capable free tools as JALv2, Pic Micro Pascal and SDCC (even if this one is not so good as we want) and also commercial versions that are cheaper but better. Or, we all know that the Lite versions are meant to promote (in time) the Pro versions of Microchip tools, only IF are adopted and intensively used. Even more, there is BoostC which was built as a very capable HiTech C rival (it also have C++ and Basic compilers) which improved very much from the HiTech C acquisition. It produce a faster and more compact code. Then why Microchip continue to give the wrong foot in the right offering the key of other tools existence (the devices)? I think because there was always a capable competitor - ATMEL. Until now, because ATMEL had great financial difficulties forcing him to sell a lot of manufacturing facilities. So, this is why I asked "... that mean that the collapse of ATMEL is imminent?". Some how, it seems to be. Look at Microchip offensive: executables for ALL major operating Systems. We will get hard times, for sure. Well, at least, this is my opinion. P.S. there are also many signals of sustaining this opinion... On Oct 29, 9:07 pm, mattschinkel <[email protected]> wrote: > Hey Rob, > > Maybe before you start working on anything, wait till that BETA > becomes a final release. Maybe you can contact Microchip about this > issue before the beta is final, and explain that these .DEV files are > essential for our further development with PIC. If we do not have > these .DEV files, nobody that uses JAL will buy these PIC's, and way > may move to ATMEL. Do you think this may convince them? > > Anyways, how would users of C look up register names otherwise? only > by the datasheet? I find it important to look in the device files. > > Matt. > > On Oct 29, 7:57 am, Rob Hamerling <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Hi guys, > > > MPLAB 8.60 is available and I'm not particularly happy with it! > > For some unknown reason Microchip has changed many if not all > > descriptions of the oscillator (and some other) configuration bits in > > the .dev files. This means I'll have to rebuild tools/fusedefmap.cmd > > and most likely rewrite part of the tools/dev2jal.cmd script to create > > fuse_de specifications. That'll take some time! > > > Maybe worse: MPLAB X beta is also available, which seems to be the > > successor of MPLAB 8. As far as I've seen this version doesn't contain > > .dev files. If that is true (maybe one of you can check) we have to find > > another method of creating Jallib device files. > > MPLAB X IDE can be downloaded from:http://devupdates.microchip.com/mplab/ > > > A nice weekend to all of you! > > > Regards, Rob. > > > -- > > R. Hamerling, Netherlands ---http://www.robh.nl -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "jallib" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/jallib?hl=en.
