gnupic: PIC C Compilers
Subject:
PIC C Compilers
From:
David McNab ####@####.####
Date:
16 Oct 2004 14:08:27 +0100
Message-Id: <41711D42.2050001@rebirthing.co.nz>
Hi,
Firstly, thanks to the GNUPIC website crew for creating a great
linux-friendly portal for PIC hackers.
I want to raise the question of C compilers for PIC.
Initially I was disappointed that there seems to be no definitive
'gcc'-like free/opensource compiler that's ready for PIC projects.
Please correct me if I'm wrong here - if there's a free and opensource
PIC C compiler that works well on Linux and has enough doco, features
and control to be usable in real development projects, please let me know.
Anyway, after looking through the available non-free compilers, I found
only one that's usable in real projects and can run under Linux - cc5x,
at http://www.bknd.com/cc5x/index.shtml.
All the rest have some pretty dumb limitations - eg, only generating
code for 16F84 after 21 days, or not generating code at all without an
activation key etc.
The free version of CC5X has minimal crippling (limit of 1000
instructions per module, which is not necessarily a bad thing because it
encourages good program design - also, limit of 16 bits on int types).
The free version license forbids usage in more than one commercial
project - not a bad thing either IMO - because if a project is
generating actual revenue, the $250 for a paid-version compiler is not
prohibitive.
But what's really great is that CC5X runs fine on Linux under Wine, and
exits with meaningful return codes, which allows its use in Makefiles.
May I suggest that CC5X be listed on the 'compilers' section of the
GNUPIC website? Its free version a really decent compiler that's nicely
designed for PIC, gives excellent control over the build, generates nice
tight code, and is supported by a very thorough manual.
--
Cheers
David
