AVR Compiler Recommendations

We've picked an AVR for a small task in a project, haven't used one
before.

I'm looking for any and all recommendations for and/or against the C
compilers available from various sources.  We'll be using Atmel's
Debug Wire debugger.

All input appreciated.

-- 
Jack Klein
Home: http://JK-Technology.Com
FAQs for
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Jack Klein wrote:
> We've picked an AVR for a small task in a project, haven't used one
> before.
>
> I'm looking for any and all recommendations for and/or against the C
> compilers available from various sources.  We'll be using Atmel's
> Debug Wire debugger.
>
> All input appreciated.
>
> --
> Jack Klein
> Home: http://JK-Technology.Com
> FAQs for
> comp.lang.c http://c-faq.com/
> comp.lang.c++ http://www.parashift.com/c++-faq-lite/
> alt.comp.lang.learn.c-c++
> http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~ajo/docs/FAQ-acllc.html

I'm using the AVR compiler for my project and it is ok. But some
times it behaves very odd , like you just do some changes in data
section and you will start getting errors from Mr. compiler. Of course
it does not happen all the time except sometimes, anyhow I would still
recommend to use this complier. There is another very powerful compiler
from Keil [www.keil.com/ ] and yet another popular compiler from
CodeVision [ http://www.codevision.be/ ] with cute IDE.
To me choosing a compile is very personal choice though the benefits
you can get from AVR compiler are very strong. Yeah you can find very
active forums here [http://avrfreaks.net/index.php ] to discuss any
problem during your project development.

Regards,
ali

Try WinAVR, it's cool and free

http://winavr.sourceforge.net/

Regards
GM

"Jack Klein" <jackklein@spamcop.net> wrote in message
news:u2b062thlm5o81bbf5a214s0nmdhsmota8@4ax.com...
> We've picked an AVR for a small task in a project, haven't used one
> before.
>
> I'm looking for any and all recommendations for and/or against the C
> compilers available from various sources.  We'll be using Atmel's
> Debug Wire debugger.
>
> All input appreciated.
>
> -- 
> Jack Klein
> Home: http://JK-Technology.Com
> FAQs for
> comp.lang.c http://c-faq.com/
> comp.lang.c++ http://www.parashift.com/c++-faq-lite/
> alt.comp.lang.learn.c-c++
> http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~ajo/docs/FAQ-acllc.html

Jack Klein wrote:
> We've picked an AVR for a small task in a project, haven't used one
> before.
> 
> I'm looking for any and all recommendations for and/or against the C
> compilers available from various sources.  We'll be using Atmel's
> Debug Wire debugger.
> 
> All input appreciated.
> 

Jack, our compiler is fully functional for 45 days, and 4K code limited 
for non-commercial use afterward so it's easy for you to do evaluation. 
We have different versions for different needs. Please feel free to 
contact me if you have any questions.

"Richard" <richard@imagecraft.com> wrote in message
news:1260eve5i7pfg7e@corp.supernews.com...
> Jack, our compiler is fully functional for 45 days, and 4K code limited
> for non-commercial use afterward so it's easy for you to do evaluation.
> We have different versions for different needs. Please feel free to
> contact me if you have any questions.

I agree with Richard. The Imagecraft compiler does its job and is easy to
use. And its good value for money and the support is good.

Meindert
(no attachments with ImageCraft, just a happy user for some years now).

Meindert Sprang wrote:
> "Richard" <richard@imagecraft.com> wrote in message
> news:1260eve5i7pfg7e@corp.supernews.com...
> > Jack, our compiler is fully functional for 45 days, and 4K code limited
> > for non-commercial use afterward so it's easy for you to do evaluation.
> > We have different versions for different needs. Please feel free to
> > contact me if you have any questions.
>
> I agree with Richard. The Imagecraft compiler does its job and is easy to
> use. And its good value for money and the support is good.
>
> Meindert
> (no attachments with ImageCraft, just a happy user for some years now).

Oops just noticed that i didn't mention the name of complier in my
previous post.
I would vote for winAvr  http://winavr.sourceforge.net/

"Richard" <richard@imagecraft.com> wrote in message 
news:1260eve5i7pfg7e@corp.supernews.com...
> Jack Klein wrote:
>> We've picked an AVR for a small task in a project, haven't used one
>> before.
>>
>> I'm looking for any and all recommendations for and/or against the C
>> compilers available from various sources.  We'll be using Atmel's
>> Debug Wire debugger.
>>
>> All input appreciated.
>>
>
> Jack, our compiler is fully functional for 45 days, and 4K code limited 
> for non-commercial use afterward so it's easy for you to do evaluation. We 
> have different versions for different needs. Please feel free to contact 
> me if you have any questions.

What benefits does it have over winavr gcc and what is the cost? We use 
atmel for alot of stuff, mainly ATMEGA8L chips. 

The winavr gcc setup is the best.
Alot of people have mentioned problems with older versions that are now gone 
so make sure to get the latest version.
Just make sure to turn on optimisation... for some reason it defaults to 
off. My code size reduce to 20% with no noticable speed drop o_O


"Jack Klein" <jackklein@spamcop.net> wrote in message 
news:u2b062thlm5o81bbf5a214s0nmdhsmota8@4ax.com...
> We've picked an AVR for a small task in a project, haven't used one
> before.
>
> I'm looking for any and all recommendations for and/or against the C
> compilers available from various sources.  We'll be using Atmel's
> Debug Wire debugger.
>
> All input appreciated.

DAC wrote:
> "Richard" <richard@imagecraft.com> wrote in message 
> news:1260eve5i7pfg7e@corp.supernews.com...
>> Jack Klein wrote:
>>> We've picked an AVR for a small task in a project, haven't used one
>>> before.
>>>
>>> I'm looking for any and all recommendations for and/or against the C
>>> compilers available from various sources.  We'll be using Atmel's
>>> Debug Wire debugger.
>>>
>>> All input appreciated.
>>>
>> Jack, our compiler is fully functional for 45 days, and 4K code limited 
>> for non-commercial use afterward so it's easy for you to do evaluation. We 
>> have different versions for different needs. Please feel free to contact 
>> me if you have any questions.
> 
> What benefits does it have over winavr gcc and what is the cost? We use 
> atmel for alot of stuff, mainly ATMEGA8L chips. 
> 

The benefits of ImageCraft's compiler compared to winavr are ease of 
use, especially for relative newbies, although for more experienced 
developers, some of the "ease of use" features are actually a hindrance. 
  The cost (prices on ImageCraft website, or from Richard) is pretty 
negligible for professional users.  ImageCraft are also renowned for the 
quality of their support (like avr-gcc, your questions are answered by 
the people who wrote the compiler - without fighting through support 
'bots checking your licensing and your tool versions).  However, it 
can't compete with avr-gcc on compiler features or optimisation.

winavr gives you a pretty complete development kit "out of the box", as 
does ImageCraft.  ImageCraft's is more integrated, which can be a good 
thing or a bad thing depending on your tastes.

One big difference in the compilers is how they deal with data in flash. 
  Avr-gcc uses standards-compliant but ugly "progmem" macros, while 
ImageCraft's compiler abuses the "const" keyword.  This means that 
ImageCraft's compiler, for the most part, does what people expect and 
intend - but fails on some perfectly legitimate code (such as casting to 
const).

I use avr-gcc myself for most newer projects (actually, I use msp430's 
more than avr - also supported by both gcc and ImageCraft), but I've a 
couple of older projects with ImageCraft, and I'd recommend both of 
them, depending on the user.  Both are free to download and try out with 
real code.

Jack Klein wrote:

> We've picked an AVR for a small task in a project, haven't used one
> before.
> 
> I'm looking for any and all recommendations for and/or against the C
> compilers available from various sources.  We'll be using Atmel's
> Debug Wire debugger.
> 
> All input appreciated.
> 

I can remommend the Pascal compiler from ELab:
http://www.e-lab.de
The programmer is included in the set and a
quick replying forum is also there.

Rene
-- 
Ing.Buero R.Tschaggelar - http://www.ibrtses.com
& commercial newsgroups - http://www.talkto.net