12F675 | 16F628 | 16F84 | 16f877 | 16F877A | 16F88 | 18F458 | ADC | AVR | Bootloader | CAN | CCS | CRC | EAGLE | EEPROM | ICD | ICSP | IDE | JDM | LED | Macros | Microchip | MPLAB | PCB-CAD | PIC10F | Pic12f675 | PIC16F84 | PIC16F84A | PIC16F877 | PIC18 | PIC18F452 | PicBasic | PICC | PICSTART | PWM | RS-485 | RS232 | SMT | SPI | UART | USART | USB | Wireless | Wisp628 | Xilinx

Has anyone used PicBasic Pro by MeLabs) and MBasic Pro (by Basic
Micro)? How do the two compare? I can afford to get one or the
other, and obviously want the better of the two products. By better,
I mean easier to use, value for the money, more powerful.

Please do not bother listing all of the other available Basic
compilers. I have compared and contrasted and these are the front
runners in my search.

Thanks,

Scott




(You need to be a member of piclist -- send a blank email to piclist-subscribe@yahoogroups.com )

Try downloading the demos or manuals and examples for each product and
make a decision. I personally couldn't afford to buy both to evaluate,
and I don't think many would change one for another.

The thing is there are other BASIC compilers out there, and there are
other languages that are equally as easy to use (and in the case of JAL
are free as well)

Personally I like the look of MBASIC, However there are loads of IDE
interfaces for PicBASIC

Malcolm

clayforge wrote:

> Has anyone used PicBasic Pro by MeLabs) and MBasic Pro (by Basic
> Micro)? How do the two compare? I can afford to get one or the
> other, and obviously want the better of the two products. By better,
> I mean easier to use, value for the money, more powerful.
>
> Please do not bother listing all of the other available Basic
> compilers. I have compared and contrasted and these are the front
> runners in my search.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Scott >
>
> to unsubscribe, go to http://www.yahoogroups.com and follow the
> instructions > ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *>.




(You need to be a member of piclist -- send a blank email to piclist-subscribe@yahoogroups.com )

personaly i would say dont get either i tryed them both and was
dissapointed i now use mikroBasic by mikroElektronika its awesome i
payed about £86 GBP and thats it, free upgrades for life and
excellent customer service via a forum email etc they have a free
download that only limits the hex code to 2k so you can try out all
the examples there is a good maunal and a free online book and
project downloads you would be mad not to give it a look,

within an hour i had a 16F877A and a 16F84A hooked up to a lcd
displaying the speed of a pwm driven motor, the code took 10 mins
the rest was soldering wires etc

They do C, Pascal, basic

http://www.mikroelektronika.co.yu/english/index.htm

im not connected in anyway im just a total fan it realy is that good --- In piclist@picl..., Malcolm <malcolm.crabbe@n...> wrote:
> Try downloading the demos or manuals and examples for each product
and
> make a decision. I personally couldn't afford to buy both to
evaluate,
> and I don't think many would change one for another.
>
> The thing is there are other BASIC compilers out there, and there
are
> other languages that are equally as easy to use (and in the case
of JAL
> are free as well)
>
> Personally I like the look of MBASIC, However there are loads of
IDE
> interfaces for PicBASIC
>
> Malcolm
>
> clayforge wrote:
>
> > Has anyone used PicBasic Pro by MeLabs) and MBasic Pro (by Basic
> > Micro)? How do the two compare? I can afford to get one or the
> > other, and obviously want the better of the two products. By
better,
> > I mean easier to use, value for the money, more powerful.
> >
> > Please do not bother listing all of the other available Basic
> > compilers. I have compared and contrasted and these are the
front
> > runners in my search.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Scott
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > to unsubscribe, go to http://www.yahoogroups.com and follow the
> > instructions
> >
> >
> > -----------------------------------------------------------------
-------
> > *>.
> >
>



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In what ways were you disappointed with PicBasic Pro and MBasic? How
did they fail to meet your needs? What makes mikroBasic so "awesome"?
This would help in letting me make a good choice.

Thanks!

Scott --- In piclist@picl..., "p_c_vincent" <p3t3rv@b...> wrote:
> personaly i would say dont get either i tryed them both and was
> dissapointed i now use mikroBasic by mikroElektronika its awesome i

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On the PICPLC16 board the relays alone must be something like 1/2 the cost...
and then the rest of the components, board, manual, box ...
Its amazing if they can make any money on these boards....

p_c_vincent wrote:

....i now use mikroBasic by mikroElektronika its awesome i
payed about £86 GBP and thats it, free upgrades for life and
excellent customer service via a forum email etc they have a free
download that only limits the hex code to 2k so you can try out all
the examples there is a good maunal and a free online book and
project downloads you would be mad not to give it a look,

within an hour i had a 16F877A and a 16F84A hooked up to a lcd
displaying the speed of a pwm driven motor, the code took 10 mins
the rest was soldering wires etc

They do C, Pascal, basic

http://www.mikroelektronika.co.yu/english/index.htm

im not connected in anyway im just a total fan it realy is that good
 
 

--
*******************************************
VISIT MY HOME PAGE:
<http://home.online.no/~eikarlse/index.htm>
LAST UPDATED: 23/08/2003
*******************************************
Regards
Eirik Karlsen
 

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> They do C, Pascal, basic
> http://www.mikroelektronika.co.yu/english/index.htm
> im not connected in anyway im just a total fan it realy is that good

A customer wanted to use their Pascal compiler. I had to write a library
for him. I have some serious problems with the Pascal compiler / IDE
(after using it for half a day!):
- sometimes a module will not be re-compiled after a source change
- some constructs that are legal according to the manual produce a weird
compiler errors
- the generated code is not very efficient (to put it mildly)
- the assembler output is not a real assembler listing
- accessing variables from in-line assembly realy sucks

Wouter van Ooijen

-- -------------------------------------------
Van Ooijen Technische Informatica: www.voti.nl
consultancy, development, PICmicro products
docent Hogeschool van Utrecht: www.voti.nl/hvu


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I haven't used any of these compilers so any opinion would be
worthless.

Some things to consider:

MBASIC and PicBasicPRO are based on the Basic Stamp - perhaps this
is useful for converting programs. Pay attention to expressions -
they are done correctly in the BASICs and incorrectly on the Stamp.
This will create problems in conversions.

Leaf through both manuals, side by side. Look for functions
included in one but not the other. Does the presence or absence
matter? Floating point is a kludge either way - but it often is on
8 bit machines.

Look at the chips that are covered. Does one cover more than the
other? Does it matter? Do either cover the new 18Fxxxx chips? I
would look at the length of the list and use that as a factor. More
chips is better. Simply because you often find an example based on
some obscure chip and it is easier to use the chip than convert the
program. And more likely to work without hours of debugging. Like
the 8 MHz internal clock of the PIC16F819 versus 4 MHz for most of
the other small chips - stuff like that will drive you nuts.

Take a sample program from some archive. Compile it with the demo
compilers. Which compiler generates the least amount of code. This
can be a factor with the smaller devices.

Look at in-line assembly. It is often necessary to get down and
dirty with the hardware. Does this look easier with one than the
other?

All else being equal, PicBasicPRO is kind of a standard in the
industry. I would tend to go that way but it could get to be a coin
toss either way - what's $20?. From a VERY limited review, I tend
to see articles based on PicBasicPRO and I haven't seen any based on
MBASIC. All I know about anything, I got by copying the works of
others so I want to use what the author used.

FWIW, I am seriously thinking about buying PicBasicPRO for the
library. There are some projects where performance doesn't matter,
size isn't critical, I just want results - right now! Maybe
PicBasicPRO will give it to me.

Let us know what you decide.


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I don't see how the support would be any good if they don't charge for upgrades for life.    -------Original Message-------   From: p_c_vincent Date: 04/28/05 17:52:14 To: p...@yahoogroups.com Subject: [piclist] Re: PicBasic Pro v. MBasic...   personaly i would say dont get either i tryed them both and was dissapointed i now use mikroBasic by mikroElektronika its awesome i payed about £86 GBP and thats it, free upgrades for life and excellent customer service via a forum email etc they have a free download that only limits the hex code to 2k so you can try out all the examples there is a good maunal and a free online book and project downloads you would be mad not to give it a look,   within an hour i had a 16F877A and a 16F84A hooked up to a lcd displaying the speed of a pwm driven motor, the code took 10 mins the rest was soldering wires etc   They do C, Pascal, basic   http://www.mikroelektronika.co.yu/english/index.htm   im not connected in anyway im just a total fan it realy is that good           --- In p...@yahoogroups.com, Malcolm <malcolm.crabbe@n...> wrote: > Try downloading the demos or manuals and examples for each product and > make a decision.  I personally couldn't afford to buy both to evaluate, > and I don't think many would change one for another. > > The thing is there are other BASIC compilers out there, and there are > other languages that are equally as easy to use (and in the case of JAL > are free as well) > > Personally I like the look of MBASIC, However there are loads of IDE > interfaces for PicBASIC > > Malcolm > > clayforge wrote: > > > Has anyone used PicBasic Pro by MeLabs) and MBasic Pro (by Basic > > Micro)?  How do the two compare?  I can afford to get one or the > > other, and obviously want the better of the two products.  By better, > > I mean easier to use, value for the money, more powerful. > > > > Please do not bother listing all of the other available Basic > > compilers.  I have compared and contrasted and these are the front > > runners in my search. > > > > Thanks, > > > > Scott > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > to unsubscribe, go to http://www.yahoogroups.com and follow the > > instructions > > > > > > ----------------------------------------------------------------- ------- > > *>. > > > >           to unsubscribe, go to http://www.yahoogroups.com and follow the instructions

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Bill,

The support is excellent despite the free upgrades for life. I'm not
sure exactly how they do it, bit they do it, and that's what counts.
I have used only the trial version so far, but I am very much satisfied
with it and the support I have gotten from them in that short time.
Version 2 will be coming out soon, and as soon as it does, I'm buying
the full version. I'm only waiting because I'm waiting on funding from
my income tax refund. Otherwise, I'd just get the current version and
get the upgrade free when it is released. And just as an FYI, version 2
was supposed to be released earlier this month, but they wanted to do
some more testing to iron out as many bugs and details as possible before
releasing it. I'd call that dedication and attention to detail. I know
I'll be satisfied with Mikrobasic because I've used it and I like it.
In addition, I also own PIC BASIC PRO. It's okay too. It has lots of
builtin functions, but not many libraries (that I've seen anyway).
If I had my choice, (and I do), I'd go with Mikrobasic (Which I have/will).

Hope this helps you out some. Good Luck. Regards,

Jim
> I don't see how the support would be any good if they don't charge for
> upgrades for life.
>
> -------Original Message-------
>
> From: p_c_vincent
> Date: 04/28/05 17:52:14
> To: piclist@picl...
> Subject: [piclist] Re: PicBasic Pro v. MBasic...
>
> personaly i would say dont get either i tryed them both and was
> dissapointed i now use mikroBasic by mikroElektronika its awesome i
> payed about £86 GBP and thats it, free upgrades for life and
> excellent customer service via a forum email etc they have a free
> download that only limits the hex code to 2k so you can try out all
> the examples there is a good maunal and a free online book and
> project downloads you would be mad not to give it a look,
>
> within an hour i had a 16F877A and a 16F84A hooked up to a lcd
> displaying the speed of a pwm driven motor, the code took 10 mins
the
> rest was soldering wires etc
>
> They do C, Pascal, basic
>
> http://www.mikroelektronika.co.yu/english/index.htm
>
> im not connected in anyway im just a total fan it realy is that good > --- In piclist@picl..., Malcolm <malcolm.crabbe@n...> wrote:
>> Try downloading the demos or manuals and examples for each product
> and
>> make a decision. I personally couldn't afford to buy both to
> evaluate,
>> and I don't think many would change one for another.
>>
>> The thing is there are other BASIC compilers out there, and there
> are
>> other languages that are equally as easy to use (and in the case
> of JAL
>> are free as well)
>>
>> Personally I like the look of MBASIC, However there are loads of
> IDE
>> interfaces for PicBASIC
>>
>> Malcolm
>>
>> clayforge wrote:
>>
>> > Has anyone used PicBasic Pro by MeLabs) and MBasic Pro (by Basic
>> > Micro)? How do the two compare? I can afford to get one or the
>> > other, and obviously want the better of the two products. By
> better,
>> > I mean easier to use, value for the money, more powerful.
>> >
>> > Please do not bother listing all of the other available Basic
>> > compilers. I have compared and contrasted and these are the
> front
>> > runners in my search.
>> >
>> > Thanks,
>> >
>> > Scott
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > to unsubscribe, go to http://www.yahoogroups.com and follow the
>> > instructions
>> >
>> >
>> > -----------------------------------------------------------------
> -------
>> > *>.
>> >
>> > to unsubscribe, go to http://www.yahoogroups.com and follow the
> instructions
Yahoo! Groups Links

______________________________
Stellaris® MCU Family: New Parts, New Package, New Price.


(You need to be a member of piclist -- send a blank email to piclist-subscribe@yahoogroups.com )

From: Bill Tinsley

To: p...@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Friday, April 29, 2005 1:50 AM

Subject: Re: [piclist] Re: PicBasic Pro v. MBasic...

I don't see how the support would be any good if they don't charge for upgrades for life.    -------Original Message-------   From: p_c_vincent Date: 04/28/05 17:52:14 To: p...@yahoogroups.com Subject: [piclist] Re: PicBasic Pro v. MBasic...   personaly i would say dont get either i tryed them both and was dissapointed i now use mikroBasic by mikroElektronika its awesome i payed about £86 GBP and thats it, free upgrades for life and excellent customer service via a forum email etc they have a free download that only limits the hex code to 2k so you can try out all the examples there is a good maunal and a free online book and project downloads you would be mad not to give it a look,   within an hour i had a 16F877A and a 16F84A hooked up to a lcd displaying the speed of a pwm driven motor, the code took 10 mins the rest was soldering wires etc   They do C, Pascal, basic   http://www.mikroelektronika.co.yu/english/index.htm   im not connected in anyway im just a total fan it realy is that good           --- In p...@yahoogroups.com, Malcolm <malcolm.crabbe@n...> wrote: > Try downloading the demos or manuals and examples for each product and > make a decision.  I personally couldn't afford to buy both to evaluate, > and I don't think many would change one for another. > > The thing is there are other BASIC compilers out there, and there are > other languages that are equally as easy to use (and in the case of JAL > are free as well) > > Personally I like the look of MBASIC, However there are loads of IDE > interfaces for PicBASIC > > Malcolm > > clayforge wrote: > > > Has anyone used PicBasic Pro by MeLabs) and MBasic Pro (by Basic > > Micro)?  How do the two compare?  I can afford to get one or the > > other, and obviously want the better of the two products.  By better, > > I mean easier to use, value for the money, more powerful. > > > > Please do not bother listing all of the other available Basic > > compilers.  I have compared and contrasted and these are the front > > runners in my search. > > > > Thanks, > > > > Scott > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > to unsubscribe, go to http://www.yahoogroups.com and follow the > > instructions > > > > > > ----------------------------------------------------------------- ------- > > *>. > > > >           to unsubscribe, go to http://www.yahoogroups.com and follow the instructions

to unsubscribe, go to http://www.yahoogroups.com and follow the instructions


(You need to be a member of piclist -- send a blank email to piclist-subscribe@yahoogroups.com )

--- In piclist@picl..., "Peter Vincent" <p3t3rv@b...> wrote:
> product support is great they are in the process of releasing
version 2 a big update lots of new built in functions bug fixes all
of which came from the forum they asked us what we wanted to see in
version 2 via the forum they put it in , your questions get answerd
by the people that actualy write the code, just because they dont
rip us off with constant charges for updates (pay or get left
behind) is no measure of the quality of customer service just look
at MPLAB from picmicro a very substantional piece of software
constantly updated do they charge ? do they even charge for the
software to begin with ? no and no so dose that meen Microchip gives
crap support ? my PicKit1 flash starter kit was only £20 the
upgrades are free

I don't think the comparison is reasonable:

Microchip is in the business of selling chips. Tens of millions of
chips - they can easily afford to offer development software. They
also need it for their own work. Why would anyone buy a chip if
they couldn't use it?

Xilinx and Altera (among others) are finally offering free
development software for their FPGA offerings. It gets their
products used by more people for more applications. Maybe it adds a
dollar a chip to the cost - not an important consideration. > customer support is more than weather you pay for upgrades or
not , its how the vendor interacts with the customer to provide
help, information or solutions to problems, and on that score i'm
impressed with mikroBasic all i can say is download the trial read
the forum see for yourself :) > ----- Original Message -----
> From: Bill Tinsley
> To: piclist@picl...
> Sent: Friday, April 29, 2005 1:50 AM
> Subject: Re: [piclist] Re: PicBasic Pro v. MBasic... > I don't see how the support would be any good if they
don't charge for upgrades for life.
>
> -------Original Message-------
>
> From: p_c_vincent
> Date: 04/28/05 17:52:14
> To: piclist@picl...
> Subject: [piclist] Re: PicBasic Pro v. MBasic...
>
> personaly i would say dont get either i tryed them both
and was
> dissapointed i now use mikroBasic by mikroElektronika its
awesome i
> payed about £86 GBP and thats it, free upgrades for life
and
> excellent customer service via a forum email etc they have
a free
> download that only limits the hex code to 2k so you can
try out all
> the examples there is a good maunal and a free online book
and
> project downloads you would be mad not to give it a look,
>
> within an hour i had a 16F877A and a 16F84A hooked up to a
lcd
> displaying the speed of a pwm driven motor, the code took
10 mins
> the rest was soldering wires etc
>
> They do C, Pascal, basic
>
> http://www.mikroelektronika.co.yu/english/index.htm
>
> im not connected in anyway im just a total fan it realy is
that good > --- In piclist@picl..., Malcolm
<malcolm.crabbe@n...> wrote:
> > Try downloading the demos or manuals and examples for
each product
> and
> > make a decision. I personally couldn't afford to buy
both to
> evaluate,
> > and I don't think many would change one for another.
> >
> > The thing is there are other BASIC compilers out there,
and there
> are
> > other languages that are equally as easy to use (and in
the case
> of JAL
> > are free as well)
> >
> > Personally I like the look of MBASIC, However there are
loads of
> IDE
> > interfaces for PicBASIC
> >
> > Malcolm
> >
> > clayforge wrote:
> >
> > > Has anyone used PicBasic Pro by MeLabs) and MBasic Pro
(by Basic
> > > Micro)? How do the two compare? I can afford to get
one or the
> > > other, and obviously want the better of the two
products. By
> better,
> > > I mean easier to use, value for the money, more
powerful.
> > >
> > > Please do not bother listing all of the other
available Basic
> > > compilers. I have compared and contrasted and these
are the
> front
> > > runners in my search.
> > >
> > > Thanks,
> > >
> > > Scott
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > to unsubscribe, go to http://www.yahoogroups.com and
follow the
> > > instructions
> > >
> > >
> > > -------------------------------------------------------
----------
> -------
> > > *>.
> > >
> > > to unsubscribe, go to http://www.yahoogroups.com and
follow the instructions
> Yahoo! Groups Links >
> to unsubscribe, go to http://www.yahoogroups.com and follow the
instructions >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
> a.. To





(You need to be a member of piclist -- send a blank email to piclist-subscribe@yahoogroups.com )

I downloaded mikroboasic and tried some of the sample files, which
seemed to compile poorly (the hex would not work even though the code
compiled without errors) - Yes support is good, and the forums are
active but the problem is that their software is designed to function
with their own development boards and programmers.

I know its going off topic a bit.. but there are other alternatives.
JAL is free and well supported, CH-BASIC has a nice interface and
reputedly produces tight code for a compiler. PicBASIC (pro) is well
supported and there are lots of IDE's available for it, and loads of
example programs.

I think at the end of the day you will never get the "perfect" item as
there will always one or several functions that one has over the
others. Your choice will also depend on the amount and level of
programming you are doing.

Personally I don't write a lot of programs and as most of my stuff is
pretty basic stuff I use JAL.

The choice is yours my friend

Regards

Malcolm

rtstofer wrote:

> --- In piclist@picl..., "Peter Vincent" <p3t3rv@b...> wrote:
> > product support is great they are in the process of releasing
> version 2 a big update lots of new built in functions bug fixes all
> of which came from the forum they asked us what we wanted to see in
> version 2 via the forum they put it in , your questions get answerd
> by the people that actualy write the code, just because they dont
> rip us off with constant charges for updates (pay or get left
> behind) is no measure of the quality of customer service just look
> at MPLAB from picmicro a very substantional piece of software
> constantly updated do they charge ? do they even charge for the
> software to begin with ? no and no so dose that meen Microchip gives
> crap support ? my PicKit1 flash starter kit was only £20 the
> upgrades are free
>
> I don't think the comparison is reasonable:
>
> Microchip is in the business of selling chips. Tens of millions of
> chips - they can easily afford to offer development software. They
> also need it for their own work. Why would anyone buy a chip if
> they couldn't use it?
>
> Xilinx and Altera (among others) are finally offering free
> development software for their FPGA offerings. It gets their
> products used by more people for more applications. Maybe it adds a
> dollar a chip to the cost - not an important consideration.
>
> >
> > customer support is more than weather you pay for upgrades or
> not , its how the vendor interacts with the customer to provide
> help, information or solutions to problems, and on that score i'm
> impressed with mikroBasic all i can say is download the trial read
> the forum see for yourself :)
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Bill Tinsley
> > To: piclist@picl...
> > Sent: Friday, April 29, 2005 1:50 AM
> > Subject: Re: [piclist] Re: PicBasic Pro v. MBasic...
> >
> >
> > I don't see how the support would be any good if they
> don't charge for upgrades for life.
> >
> > -------Original Message-------
> >
> > From: p_c_vincent
> > Date: 04/28/05 17:52:14
> > To: piclist@picl...
> > Subject: [piclist] Re: PicBasic Pro v. MBasic...
> >
> > personaly i would say dont get either i tryed them both
> and was
> > dissapointed i now use mikroBasic by mikroElektronika its
> awesome i
> > payed about £86 GBP and thats it, free upgrades for life
> and
> > excellent customer service via a forum email etc they have
> a free
> > download that only limits the hex code to 2k so you can
> try out all
> > the examples there is a good maunal and a free online book
> and
> > project downloads you would be mad not to give it a look,
> >
> > within an hour i had a 16F877A and a 16F84A hooked up to a
> lcd
> > displaying the speed of a pwm driven motor, the code took
> 10 mins
> > the rest was soldering wires etc
> >
> > They do C, Pascal, basic
> >
> > http://www.mikroelektronika.co.yu/english/index.htm
> >
> > im not connected in anyway im just a total fan it realy is
> that good
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > --- In piclist@picl..., Malcolm
> <malcolm.crabbe@n...> wrote:
> > > Try downloading the demos or manuals and examples for
> each product
> > and
> > > make a decision. I personally couldn't afford to buy
> both to
> > evaluate,
> > > and I don't think many would change one for another.
> > >
> > > The thing is there are other BASIC compilers out there,
> and there
> > are
> > > other languages that are equally as easy to use (and in
> the case
> > of JAL
> > > are free as well)
> > >
> > > Personally I like the look of MBASIC, However there are
> loads of
> > IDE
> > > interfaces for PicBASIC
> > >
> > > Malcolm
> > >
> > > clayforge wrote:
> > >
> > > > Has anyone used PicBasic Pro by MeLabs) and MBasic Pro
> (by Basic
> > > > Micro)? How do the two compare? I can afford to get
> one or the
> > > > other, and obviously want the better of the two
> products. By
> > better,
> > > > I mean easier to use, value for the money, more
> powerful.
> > > >
> > > > Please do not bother listing all of the other
> available Basic
> > > > compilers. I have compared and contrasted and these
> are the
> > front
> > > > runners in my search.
> > > >
> > > > Thanks,
> > > >
> > > > Scott
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > to unsubscribe, go to http://www.yahoogroups.com and
> follow the
> > > > instructions
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > -------------------------------------------------------
> ----------
> > -------
> > > > *>.
> > > >
> > > >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > to unsubscribe, go to http://www.yahoogroups.com and
> follow the instructions
> > >.




(You need to be a member of piclist -- send a blank email to piclist-subscribe@yahoogroups.com )

I use JAL too, because:

1) There are a bunch of nice, helpful people at the Yahoo JALlist
group.
2) I'm not new to programming; if there's something that needs to be
tweaked with a JAL library, I can pretty much do it. I'm also not
afraid to write my own libraries. Support for inline assembler is
very helpful when you're not a newbie programmer.
3) It does what I need to do. I've run into the code limit of the
free version of CC5X many times and I can't justify spending $250 or
$520 (!!) for the full version.

Mike --- In piclist@picl..., Malcolm <malcolm.crabbe@n...> wrote:
> I downloaded mikroboasic and tried some of the sample files, which
> seemed to compile poorly (the hex would not work even though the
code
> compiled without errors) - Yes support is good, and the forums are
> active but the problem is that their software is designed to
function
> with their own development boards and programmers.
>
> I know its going off topic a bit.. but there are other
alternatives.
> JAL is free and well supported, CH-BASIC has a nice interface and
> reputedly produces tight code for a compiler. PicBASIC (pro) is
well
> supported and there are lots of IDE's available for it, and loads
of
> example programs.
>
> I think at the end of the day you will never get the "perfect" item
as
> there will always one or several functions that one has over the
> others. Your choice will also depend on the amount and level of
> programming you are doing.
>
> Personally I don't write a lot of programs and as most of my stuff
is
> pretty basic stuff I use JAL.
>
> The choice is yours my friend
>
> Regards
>
> Malcolm



(You need to be a member of piclist -- send a blank email to piclist-subscribe@yahoogroups.com )

--- In piclist@picl..., "upand_at_them" <upand_at_them@y...>
wrote:
> I use JAL too, because:
>
> 1) There are a bunch of nice, helpful people at the Yahoo JALlist
> group.
> 2) I'm not new to programming; if there's something that needs to
be
> tweaked with a JAL library, I can pretty much do it. I'm also not
> afraid to write my own libraries. Support for inline assembler is
> very helpful when you're not a newbie programmer.
> 3) It does what I need to do. I've run into the code limit of the
> free version of CC5X many times and I can't justify spending $250
or
> $520 (!!) for the full version.

The code limit isn't real! Just compile and link separate modules.
The problem I have with cc5x is that it doesn't implement the full
language. I can not put function pointers in arrays and this is a
PITA when I want to write a state driven program. It also doesn't
handle complex expressions.

One of the reasons I am moving from PICs to AVRs is the development
tools. I am playing with the ATmega128 using WinAVR. This setup
includes a full GNU C compiler with a very complete library of
hardware related code. JTAG programming and source level debugging
is another nice feature. >
> Mike > --- In piclist@picl..., Malcolm <malcolm.crabbe@n...>
wrote:
> > I downloaded mikroboasic and tried some of the sample files,
which
> > seemed to compile poorly (the hex would not work even though the
> code
> > compiled without errors) - Yes support is good, and the forums
are
> > active but the problem is that their software is designed to
> function
> > with their own development boards and programmers.
> >
> > I know its going off topic a bit.. but there are other
> alternatives.
> > JAL is free and well supported, CH-BASIC has a nice interface
and
> > reputedly produces tight code for a compiler. PicBASIC (pro) is
> well
> > supported and there are lots of IDE's available for it, and
loads
> of
> > example programs.
> >
> > I think at the end of the day you will never get the "perfect"
item
> as
> > there will always one or several functions that one has over the
> > others. Your choice will also depend on the amount and level of
> > programming you are doing.
> >
> > Personally I don't write a lot of programs and as most of my
stuff
> is
> > pretty basic stuff I use JAL.
> >
> > The choice is yours my friend
> >
> > Regards
> >
> > Malcolm





(You need to be a member of piclist -- send a blank email to piclist-subscribe@yahoogroups.com )

> The code limit isn't real! Just compile and link separate modules.

I'm not familiar with this. Is there an example somewhere?

Mike --- In piclist@picl..., "rtstofer" <rstofer@p...> wrote:
> --- In piclist@picl..., "upand_at_them"
<upand_at_them@y...>
> wrote:
> > I use JAL too, because:
> >
> > 1) There are a bunch of nice, helpful people at the Yahoo JALlist
> > group.
> > 2) I'm not new to programming; if there's something that needs to
> be
> > tweaked with a JAL library, I can pretty much do it. I'm also
not
> > afraid to write my own libraries. Support for inline assembler
is
> > very helpful when you're not a newbie programmer.
> > 3) It does what I need to do. I've run into the code limit of
the
> > free version of CC5X many times and I can't justify spending $250
> or
> > $520 (!!) for the full version.
>
> The code limit isn't real! Just compile and link separate
modules.
> The problem I have with cc5x is that it doesn't implement the full
> language. I can not put function pointers in arrays and this is a
> PITA when I want to write a state driven program. It also doesn't
> handle complex expressions.
>
> One of the reasons I am moving from PICs to AVRs is the development
> tools. I am playing with the ATmega128 using WinAVR. This setup
> includes a full GNU C compiler with a very complete library of
> hardware related code. JTAG programming and source level debugging
> is another nice feature. > >
> > Mike
> >
> >
> > --- In piclist@picl..., Malcolm <malcolm.crabbe@n...>
> wrote:
> > > I downloaded mikroboasic and tried some of the sample files,
> which
> > > seemed to compile poorly (the hex would not work even though
the
> > code
> > > compiled without errors) - Yes support is good, and the forums
> are
> > > active but the problem is that their software is designed to
> > function
> > > with their own development boards and programmers.
> > >
> > > I know its going off topic a bit.. but there are other
> > alternatives.
> > > JAL is free and well supported, CH-BASIC has a nice interface
> and
> > > reputedly produces tight code for a compiler. PicBASIC (pro)
is
> > well
> > > supported and there are lots of IDE's available for it, and
> loads
> > of
> > > example programs.
> > >
> > > I think at the end of the day you will never get the "perfect"
> item
> > as
> > > there will always one or several functions that one has over
the
> > > others. Your choice will also depend on the amount and level
of
> > > programming you are doing.
> > >
> > > Personally I don't write a lot of programs and as most of my
> stuff
> > is
> > > pretty basic stuff I use JAL.
> > >
> > > The choice is yours my friend
> > >
> > > Regards
> > >
> > > Malcolm



______________________________
Stellaris® MCU Family: New Parts, New Package, New Price.


(You need to be a member of piclist -- send a blank email to piclist-subscribe@yahoogroups.com )

--- In piclist@picl..., "upand_at_them" <upand_at_them@y...>
wrote:
> > The code limit isn't real! Just compile and link separate
modules.
>
> I'm not familiar with this. Is there an example somewhere?
>
> Mike

Not that I can find. It was discussed one time on another forum. I
gave up on cc5x and went to PIC C Lite when I found I couldn't have
function pointers in arrays.

It should be pretty easy to make up a program with a couple of
source files and give it a try. >
>
> --- In piclist@picl..., "rtstofer" <rstofer@p...> wrote:
> > --- In piclist@picl..., "upand_at_them"
> <upand_at_them@y...>
> > wrote:
> > > I use JAL too, because:
> > >
> > > 1) There are a bunch of nice, helpful people at the Yahoo
JALlist
> > > group.
> > > 2) I'm not new to programming; if there's something that needs
to
> > be
> > > tweaked with a JAL library, I can pretty much do it. I'm also
> not
> > > afraid to write my own libraries. Support for inline
assembler
> is
> > > very helpful when you're not a newbie programmer.
> > > 3) It does what I need to do. I've run into the code limit of
> the
> > > free version of CC5X many times and I can't justify spending
$250
> > or
> > > $520 (!!) for the full version.
> >
> > The code limit isn't real! Just compile and link separate
> modules.
> > The problem I have with cc5x is that it doesn't implement the
full
> > language. I can not put function pointers in arrays and this is
a
> > PITA when I want to write a state driven program. It also
doesn't
> > handle complex expressions.
> >
> > One of the reasons I am moving from PICs to AVRs is the
development
> > tools. I am playing with the ATmega128 using WinAVR. This
setup
> > includes a full GNU C compiler with a very complete library of
> > hardware related code. JTAG programming and source level
debugging
> > is another nice feature.
> >
> >
> > >
> > > Mike
> > >
> > >
> > > --- In piclist@picl..., Malcolm <malcolm.crabbe@n...>
> > wrote:
> > > > I downloaded mikroboasic and tried some of the sample files,
> > which
> > > > seemed to compile poorly (the hex would not work even though
> the
> > > code
> > > > compiled without errors) - Yes support is good, and the
forums
> > are
> > > > active but the problem is that their software is designed to
> > > function
> > > > with their own development boards and programmers.
> > > >
> > > > I know its going off topic a bit.. but there are other
> > > alternatives.
> > > > JAL is free and well supported, CH-BASIC has a nice
interface
> > and
> > > > reputedly produces tight code for a compiler. PicBASIC
(pro)
> is
> > > well
> > > > supported and there are lots of IDE's available for it, and
> > loads
> > > of
> > > > example programs.
> > > >
> > > > I think at the end of the day you will never get
the "perfect"
> > item
> > > as
> > > > there will always one or several functions that one has over
> the
> > > > others. Your choice will also depend on the amount and
level
> of
> > > > programming you are doing.
> > > >
> > > > Personally I don't write a lot of programs and as most of my
> > stuff
> > > is
> > > > pretty basic stuff I use JAL.
> > > >
> > > > The choice is yours my friend
> > > >
> > > > Regards
> > > >
> > > > Malcolm





(You need to be a member of piclist -- send a blank email to piclist-subscribe@yahoogroups.com )

> It should be pretty easy to make up a program with a couple of
> source files and give it a try.

If I knew what I was doing, which I don't. It's not just using an
include file, right?

Mike --- In piclist@picl..., "rtstofer" <rstofer@p...> wrote:
> --- In piclist@picl..., "upand_at_them"
<upand_at_them@y...>
> wrote:
> > > The code limit isn't real! Just compile and link separate
> modules.
> >
> > I'm not familiar with this. Is there an example somewhere?
> >
> > Mike
>
> Not that I can find. It was discussed one time on another forum.
I
> gave up on cc5x and went to PIC C Lite when I found I couldn't have
> function pointers in arrays.
>
> It should be pretty easy to make up a program with a couple of
> source files and give it a try.

______________________________
Stellaris® MCU Family: New Parts, New Package, New Price.


(You need to be a member of piclist -- send a blank email to piclist-subscribe@yahoogroups.com )

--- In piclist@y
ahoogroups.com, "upand_at_them" <upand_at_them@y...> wrote:
> > It should be pretty easy to make up a program with a couple of
> > source files and give it a try.
>
> If I knew what I was doing, which I don't. It's not just using an
> include file, right?
>
> Mike

No, it's more like partitioning a project. The multiple file
example I have for PIC C Lite has 3 files: POWERUP.AS (the startup
file required for use with a bootloader), Alarm.c and Tasks.c (a
multitasking library). This was an overdesigned high water alarm
system for my boat. It was to be connected to an autodialer and
phone home when the bilge level got above a certain point. It's a
great alarm system but I fixed the leaks instead.

For this project in MPLAB, the PIC C Language Suite is selected and
the project file knows that these three source files, plus a couple
of .h files are to be compiled and linked together.

Each file is compiled separately and produces relocatable output
which would be limited to 2k if this project used cc5x. But there
are two files so each could grow to 2k.

A larger project might have several files and each would have the
compiler size limit but, in aggregate, the total project can fill
the PIC. >
> --- In piclist@picl..., "rtstofer" <rstofer@p...> wrote:
> > --- In piclist@picl..., "upand_at_them"
> <upand_at_them@y...>
> > wrote:
> > > > The code limit isn't real! Just compile and link separate
> > modules.
> > >
> > > I'm not familiar with this. Is there an example somewhere?
> > >
> > > Mike
> >
> > Not that I can find. It was discussed one time on another
forum.
> I
> > gave up on cc5x and went to PIC C Lite when I found I couldn't
have
> > function pointers in arrays.
> >
> > It should be pretty easy to make up a program with a couple of
> > source files and give it a try.
>





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----- Original Message -----

From: Malcolm

To: p...@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Friday, April 29, 2005 4:32 PM

Subject: Re: [piclist] Re: PicBasic Pro v. MBasic...

I downloaded mikroboasic and tried some of the sample files, which
seemed to compile poorly (the hex would not work even though the code
compiled without errors) - Yes support is good, and the forums are
active but the problem is that their software is designed to function
with their own development boards and programmers.

I know its going off topic a bit.. but there are other alternatives. 
JAL is free and well supported, CH-BASIC has a nice interface and
reputedly produces tight code for a compiler.  PicBASIC (pro) is well
supported and there are lots of IDE's available for it, and loads of
example programs.

I think at the end of the day you will never get the "perfect" item as
there will always one or several functions that one has over the
others.  Your choice will also depend on the amount and level of
programming you are doing.

Personally I don't write a lot of programs and as most of my stuff is
pretty basic stuff I use JAL.

The choice is yours my friend

Regards

Malcolm

rtstofer wrote:

> --- In p...@yahoogroups.com, "Peter Vincent" <p3t3rv@b...> wrote:
> > product support is great they are in the process of releasing
> version 2 a big update lots of new built in functions bug fixes all
> of which came from the forum they asked us what we wanted to see in
> version 2 via the forum they put it in , your questions get answerd
> by the people that actualy write the code, just because they dont
> rip us off with constant charges for updates (pay or get left
> behind) is no measure of the quality of customer service just look
> at MPLAB from picmicro a very substantional piece of software
> constantly updated do they charge ? do they even charge for the
> software to begin with ? no and no so dose that meen Microchip gives
> crap support ? my PicKit1 flash starter kit was only £20 the
> upgrades are free
>
> I don't think the comparison is reasonable:
>
> Microchip is in the business of selling chips.  Tens of millions of
> chips - they can easily afford to offer development software.  They
> also need it for their own work.  Why would anyone buy a chip if
> they couldn't use it?
>
> Xilinx and Altera (among others) are finally offering free
> development software for their FPGA offerings.  It gets their
> products used by more people for more applications.  Maybe it adds a
> dollar a chip to the cost - not an important consideration.
>
> >
> > customer support is more than weather you pay for upgrades or
> not , its how the vendor interacts with the customer to provide
> help,  information or solutions to problems, and on that score i'm
> impressed with mikroBasic all i can say is download the trial read
> the forum see for yourself :)
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> >   From: Bill Tinsley
> >   To: p...@yahoogroups.com
> >   Sent: Friday, April 29, 2005 1:50 AM
> >   Subject: Re: [piclist] Re: PicBasic Pro v. MBasic...
> >
> >
> >         I don't see how the support would be any good if they
> don't charge for upgrades for life.
> >
> >         -------Original Message-------
> >
> >         From: p_c_vincent
> >         Date: 04/28/05 17:52:14
> >         To: p...@yahoogroups.com
> >         Subject: [piclist] Re: PicBasic Pro v. MBasic...
> >
> >         personaly i would say dont get either i tryed them both
> and was
> >         dissapointed i now use mikroBasic by mikroElektronika its
> awesome i
> >         payed about £86 GBP and thats it, free upgrades for life
> and
> >         excellent customer service via a forum email etc they have
> a free
> >         download that only limits the hex code to 2k so you can
> try out all
> >         the examples there is a good maunal and a free online book
> and
> >         project downloads you would be mad not to give it a look,
> >
> >         within an hour i had a 16F877A and a 16F84A hooked up to a
> lcd
> >         displaying the speed of a pwm driven motor, the code took
> 10 mins
> >         the rest was soldering wires etc
> >
> >         They do C, Pascal, basic
> >
> >         http://www.mikroelektronika.co.yu/english/index.htm
> >
> >         im not connected in anyway im just a total fan it realy is
> that good
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >         --- In p...@yahoogroups.com, Malcolm
> <malcolm.crabbe@n...> wrote:
> >         > Try downloading the demos or manuals and examples for
> each product
> >         and
> >         > make a decision.  I personally couldn't afford to buy
> both to
> >         evaluate,
> >         > and I don't think many would change one for another.
> >         >
> >         > The thing is there are other BASIC compilers out there,
> and there
> >         are
> >         > other languages that are equally as easy to use (and in
> the case
> >         of JAL
> >         > are free as well)
> >         >
> >         > Personally I like the look of MBASIC, However there are
> loads of
> >         IDE
> >         > interfaces for PicBASIC
> >         >
> >         > Malcolm
> >         >
> >         > clayforge wrote:
> >         >
> >         > > Has anyone used PicBasic Pro by MeLabs) and MBasic Pro
> (by Basic
> >         > > Micro)?  How do the two compare?  I can afford to get
> one or the
> >         > > other, and obviously want the better of the two
> products.  By
> >         better,
> >         > > I mean easier to use, value for the money, more
> powerful.
> >         > >
> >         > > Please do not bother listing all of the other
> available Basic
> >         > > compilers.  I have compared and contrasted and these
> are the
> >         front
> >         > > runners in my search.
> >         > >
> >         > > Thanks,
> >         > >
> >         > > Scott
> >         > >
> >         > >
> >         > >
> >         > >
> >         > >
> >         > >
> >         > >
> >         > > to unsubscribe, go to http://www.yahoogroups.com and
> follow the
> >         > > instructions
> >         > >
> >         > >
> >         > > -------------------------------------------------------
> ----------
> >         -------
> >         > > *>.
> >         > >
> >         > >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >         to unsubscribe, go to http://www.yahoogroups.com and
> follow the instructions
> >         >.

to unsubscribe, go to http://www.yahoogroups.com and follow the instructions
______________________________
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----- Original Message -----

From: clayforge

To: p...@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Wednesday, May 04, 2005 4:45 PM

Subject: [piclist] Re: PicBasic Pro v. MBasic...

Well, I have decided to go with PicBasic Pro.  It covers every chip I
could want to use, has a great command set, and has been around long
enough to be the most stable of the BASIC compilers (according to
evrything I have read).  All in all, after weighing the options, I
feel that this will give me the best value for my money.
I did not go with MBasic, as it appears that it has been a while since
it has been updated. 
Proton+ was out of the running as soon as it became so pricey.  True,
it is now a full-out developers package, but a lot of what I read on
their forums is that it is not very stable.  I do not need any more
headaches that can be avoided!

Thanks to all that gave their opinions and suggestions.

Scott


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