Opinions on Microchips C18 compiler

[E=MC2]

microchip's C compiler

okay first of all i would like to say that i dont want to initiate another post filled with compiler comparisons. so please guys dont fight on which compiler is the best

i have seen alot of discussions about PIC C compilers from Hitech, CCS, IAR, Mikroelectronika etc. but i havent seen anyone interested in Microchip's C18 compiler. why is that so? is there something wrong with it. now that it is available in a 60-day student version trial i think everyone should have tried it once.

i first thought that the reason C18 isnt discussed much might be because it only supports the 18 series of PICs but the 18 series PICs are the only ones that microchip has made to work (efficiently) with a C compiler. so what is it with microchip's C compiler?????

 

[pixel]

Re: microchip's C compiler

It seems to me that microchip has concluded that they cannot earn on compilers like they planned. PICC developement was abandoned (or significantly reduced) at one point, which gave lot of place to much smaller companies, with better organization in this field.

 

[E=MC2]

Re: microchip's C compiler

so does that mean its not a good idea to use microchip's own C compiler????

 

[donkey41]

Re: microchip's C compiler

well .. it's a good question, why there is no discussion about C18 compiler.. i have also been wondering about this fact.

It seems to me that microchip has concluded that they cannot earn on compilers like they planned. PICC developement was abandoned (or significantly reduced) at one point, which gave lot of place to much smaller companies, with better organization in this field

I happen to be in a microchip seminar here in europ. what THEY have said, was, they have set the price (about 600$ ?) of C18 compiler themselves to let other companies (IAR, Hi-Tech, CSS etc. etc.) come into a compitition, otherwise they dont want to earn mony from C18 compiler.. they could have given it for free. the same reason seems to be for 14-Bit PICs.

 

[jdhar]

microchip's C compiler

I have used PICC and C18 - the reason I would NOT use C18 again is simply that it produces wrong code. Especially with auto and static variables, there are some horrible screwups that will lead to serious debugging hours wasted. There's your answer summed up.