Re: [gentoo-embedded] OT: HiTech-C question

[Peter Stuge <peter@stuge.se>]

Arkadi Shishlov wrote:
> Isn't the arrival of really cheap ARM-s, like M0, puts PIC and AVR
> and the like in legacy category you won't ever look again?

Yes and no. For the very smallest jobs, I think the cheapest PIC
still will beat an ARM by a bit. The PICs are also much smaller,
physically.

But I tend to agree. Used PIC since 90s, since starting with ARM
don't really think that I will look back.

> not to deal with PIC brain-damaging architecture is so relieving.

Hahaha! :) I kindof like it. The skip instructions are funny.


> People say, PIC-s are very robust and can handle a lot with theirs
> bare pin-s, but still, does it really matter most of the times?

Also a good point, the pins can sure take a beating.


David Relson wrote:
> At least one of HiTech's C compilers is gcc based.  Their 32-bit
> compiler documentation is a revised version of the gcc documentation.
> If recollection serves I think I saw a copy of the GPL, though I
> can't locate it right now.

Yes, they started out using their own fork of GCC for PIC32 (as
opposed to contributing support back into GCC) and since GCC is GPL
they are forced to publish their sources, which they also have done.
There was some community effort to clean it up and get it into GCC
proper, I don't know the status of that.

The C library is another story however. The C library that Microchip
released for their PIC32 to the public at no cost artificially limits
how large the application code can be. If you need larger you have to
buy the full version. They can do this because the C library is
separate from the compiler.


> James, I'd appreciate your posting your PIC open source references.

Here are some to get you started:

http://gputils.sf.net/ # assembler and linker
http://sdcc.sf.net/    # C compiler
http://gpsim.sf.net/   # simulator
http://www.linuxhacker.org/cgi-bin/ezmlm-cgi/1  # mailing list
http://pikdev.free.fr/ # a GUI IDE

The list is rather low volume, but has been around since 99. I would
suggest to post there any and all questions, and I believe you will
get good answers.


//Peter