This might be slightly off-topic, and you might not be able to (or be allowed to) answer it, but...
*Why* did TI make the CCE tools, especially the compiler? TI makes chips, and wants to sell chips - development tools are just a way to give customers the tools they need, so that they'll buy more chips. So why have they gone to the effort and expense of writing their own compiler? If TI felt that the market needed a tool that was powerful (ruling out simpler tools like ImageCraft), easy-to-use (ruling out mspgcc in the eyes of many), and reasonably priced (ruling out IAR), then the obvious solution would be to work with the mspgcc guys and produce a nice IDE and wrapper (Eclipse is a sensible choice) round mspgcc. Producing a compiler as good as mspgcc would take far longer and cost far more than providing professional help to the mspgcc project (for example, paying someone to get the port up to gcc 4.1, providing information and header files for all the devices, especially the newest ones). When Altera and Xilinx needed compiler tools for their processors, both existing "hard" processors like the ARM and PPC, and their new soft processors, they turned to gcc as the ideal solution - and both these companies have more software developers than hardware engineers. One of the big reasons that I like the msp430 is that it's C-friendly architecture has allowed for an excellent gcc port. If TI had supported the gcc (and gdb) work from the start, instead of being content ignoring all non-IAR developers, I'd have been using msp430s for much longer and we'd have far fewer AVRs at our company. When the 430X chips are available, if they are not supported by gcc then they will not be an option for me - IAR or CCE do not fullfill my requirements for development tools. When we start to need a small, cheap micro with more than 64k internal address space, we'll pushed into using ARMs (unless the tiny ColdFires are out by then). Obviously no one in the TI management is going to cry about losing sales to a small company like mine (and we expect to use the ordinary msp430 for many years to come). But my point is that you ( TI ) should be supporting something like mspgcc (and other tool vendors - I know ImageCraft had to fight tooth and claw for information and support from TI in their early days) in every way you can. The mspgcc developers should have all the information available - or you should be writing patches and contributing directly. I'm fully aware that there are complications in this, such as specifications which change - but generally these things can be worked out. Anyway, at least there is no RAMPZ in the msp430X ... mvh., David > There are pre-production samples in existence but I don't think all the > bugs have been shaken out of the silicon yet. I'm not entirely sure > when the final silicon is due to be available and I don't know what the > availability of the samples is right now. > > If you are an existing TI customer the best thing to probably do is ask > your FAE if there's any way that they can get you early samples. The > samples are pretty scarce right now though (I have trouble getting them > myself) so I'm guessing you won't be able to get a hold of anything just > yet. > > I only handle the TI tools so I'm not sure when the MSPGCC folks will > get the info they need to do their MSPX support. If all you're looking > for is "not IAR", there will be a version of CCE coming out soon to > support these devices but unfortunately we're not currently targeting > Linux as a host platform yet, despite my desire to do so. > > Implementing support for MSPX in GDB is not exactly trivial so don't > expect it overnight in MSPGCC. It took us a few months to iron out all > the details and get it "right" for our own gdb430. > > ___________________________________________ > > Chris Recoskie > Software Designer > Texas Instruments, Toronto > http://eclipse.org/cdt > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: mspgcc-users-ad...@lists.sourceforge.net [mailto:mspgcc-users- > > ad...@lists.sourceforge.net] On Behalf Of David Smead > > Sent: Thursday, March 23, 2006 8:17 PM > > To: mspgcc-users@lists.sourceforge.net > > Subject: RE: [Mspgcc-users] MSP430FG461X > > > > Linear addressing is good. Are these parts vaporware or is the TI > website > > just lagging? > > > > We have to make a decision soon on a project and we may have to move > to a > > Philips Arm chip if we can't get TI parts and develop using Linux. > > > > Sincerely, > > > > David Smead > > www.amplepower.com > > www.amplepower.net > > > > > > On Thu, 23 Mar 2006, Recoskie, Chris wrote: > > > > > Actually it's potentially 1 megabyte not 128k. The address space is > 20 > > > bits. The actual amount of memory on any given device can vary > though. > > > > > > ___________________________________________ > > > > > > Chris Recoskie > > > Software Designer > > > Texas Instruments, Toronto > > > http://eclipse.org/cdt > > > > > > > > > > > >> -----Original Message----- > > >> From: mspgcc-users-ad...@lists.sourceforge.net > [mailto:mspgcc-users- > > >> ad...@lists.sourceforge.net] On Behalf Of Pablo Bleyer Kocik > > >> Sent: Thursday, March 23, 2006 6:19 PM > > >> To: mspgcc-users@lists.sourceforge.net > > >> Subject: Re: [Mspgcc-users] MSP430FG461X > > >> > > >> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- > > >> Hash: RIPEMD160 > > >> > > >> Francois Tremblay wrote: > > >>> These new MPUs go beyond the 64K address space to 128K. Does > > > anybody > > >>> know how they managed to do it? Base register addressing? Each > > > address > > >>> points to 2 bytes? Will the GCC support those MPUs and when? We > > > are > > >>> really looking forward to using those parts but without having to > > > waste > > >>> money on IAR. > > >> > > >> http://upload.caxapa.ru/mcu/msp430/MSP430X.pdf > > >> > > >> Have a puke bag at hand, though ;o) > > >> > > >> - -- > > >> /"Hoggle: You have to understand my position. > > >> PabloBleyerKocik / I'm a coward. And Jareth scares me. > > >> pablo / Sarah: What kind of a position is that? > > >> @bleyer.org / H: No position! That's my point."-Labyrinth, 1986 > > >> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- > > >> Version: GnuPG v1.4.2 (MingW32) > > >> > > >> iD8DBQFEIyz338jcCYiexg4RA40fAJ0fWpSmw4lzJddLxJsV4bim+btfHACfQUFO > > >> rH27y3yfvfQ1Hwc/Sa1mPJE= > > >> =bbG5 > > >> -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- > > >> > > >> > > >> ------------------------------------------------------- > > >> This SF.Net email is sponsored by xPML, a groundbreaking scripting > > >> language > > >> that extends applications into web and mobile media. Attend the > live > > >> webcast > > >> and join the prime developer group breaking into this new coding > > >> territory! > > >> > > > > http://sel.as-us.falkag.net/sel?cmd=lnk&kid=110944&bid=241720&dat=121642 > > >> _______________________________________________ > > >> Mspgcc-users mailing list > > >> Mspgcc-users@lists.sourceforge.net > > >> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/mspgcc-users > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------- > > > This SF.Net email is sponsored by xPML, a groundbreaking scripting > > language > > > that extends applications into web and mobile media. Attend the live > > webcast > > > and join the prime developer group breaking into this new coding > > territory! > > > > http://sel.as-us.falkag.net/sel?cmd=lnk&kid=110944&bid=241720&dat=121642 > > > _______________________________________________ > > > Mspgcc-users mailing list > > > Mspgcc-users@lists.sourceforge.net > > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/mspgcc-users > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------- > > This SF.Net email is sponsored by xPML, a groundbreaking scripting > > language > > that extends applications into web and mobile media. Attend the live > > webcast > > and join the prime developer group breaking into this new coding > > territory! > > > http://sel.as-us.falkag.net/sel?cmd=lnk&kid=110944&bid=241720&dat=121642 > > _______________________________________________ > > Mspgcc-users mailing list > > Mspgcc-users@lists.sourceforge.net > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/mspgcc-users > > > ------------------------------------------------------- > This SF.Net email is sponsored by xPML, a groundbreaking scripting language > that extends applications into web and mobile media. Attend the live webcast > and join the prime developer group breaking into this new coding territory! > http://sel.as-us.falkag.net/sel?cmd_________________________________________ ______ > Mspgcc-users mailing list > Mspgcc-users@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/mspgcc-users > > >
