From: "bumerang boom"
To:
Sent: Tuesday, March 04, 2008 11:24 AM
Subject: RE: [msp430] IAR Embedded workbench MSP430 Version ++
> Cash? To IAR??? I like your humor ! Typical British :)
>
> Without Wax.
> BB

Hi,

Not totally in defense of either Paul or IAR here, but for us here in the
states, the cost between the two is getting closer than it was, with IAR at
about $2500 and CrossWorks is right at $1500.

Mostly in part due to the falling value of the dollar US... Start a New Thread

Hi,

> Not totally in defense of either Paul or IAR here, but for us here in
> the states, the cost between the two is getting closer than it was, with
> IAR at about $2500 and CrossWorks is right at $1500.

Baseline version, GBP 600 + VAT
(http://shop.directinsight.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?products_id48)

Standard version, GBP 1,800 + VAT
(http://shop.directinsight.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?cPathx_80_147&pr
oducts_id23)

So, it's either GBP 750 or GBP 1,800 in the UK. Is the $2,500 you quoted
for a basline, limited, standard, or pro version? For instance, if I look
at LPC tools for an unlimited ARM version I find a quoted price of $4,995 vs
$1,400 for CrossWorks. Hmm. Perhaps the MSP430 version is cheaper, but
without the knowledge of which version you've selected it's hard to tell.

But then again, price isn't everything. :-)

--
Paul Curtis, Rowley Associates Ltd http://www.rowley.co.uk
CrossWorks for ARM, MSP430, AVR, MAXQ, and now Cortex-M3 processors Start a New Thread

> Not totally in defense of either Paul or IAR here, but for us here in
> the states, the cost between the two is getting closer than it was, with
> IAR at about $2500 and CrossWorks is right at $1500.

You're not accounting for the 20% yearly fee you have to pay IAR to fix their bugs
(which admittedly are rare) and provide you with updates.
And if you don't pay for a year or more, you have to pay 40% of the purchase to "get up to date"
again. This is a significant cost as well ! CrossWorks updates are free....

Or has IAR done away with that 20% guff ?

Look, it all depends on usage of course.
High end tools like this are often used in commercial environments where tools pay for themselves
soon enough.

But in my opinion CrossWorks brings the concept of owning very professional SW much closer to
"the little guy" just as well as the large corporations.

Gee, I remember the days of Software Development Systems and the likes in the early to mid '90s.
Owning that sort of SW back then was a pipedream for most (And it wasn't even _that_ good anyway).

And don't forget that even today, SW such as Green Hills and the likes is still very expensive,
so it's not like you could throw the argument 'Yeah but this sort of SW today is sooo much cheaper
than 10 years ago'....

Best Regards,
Kris Start a New Thread