MPLAB XC Compilers - now only on "rental" - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: kaz911
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 27, 2020, 07:57:28 pm
content: Quote

author: Mangozac
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 27, 2020, 08:54:25 pm
content: I just got this email too. Very shortsighted of Microchip, but I suspect was driven by people generally not renewing their HPA until they needed new part support.I found it amusing that they are spruiking the integration of AVR and SAM devices: this is a PIC compiler so I would pay more to not have the enormous bloat the Atmel products are causing in all of the Microchip products!There will most likely be a flurry of license purchases over the next month 😂

author: kaz911
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 27, 2020, 09:02:12 pm
content: Quote from: Mangozac on July 27, 2020, 08:54:25 pmMaybe they are low on cash and it is a cash grab...Anyone wants my XC8 Pro license for a reasonable fee? I have not used it in years so it is as good as new.

author: ebclr
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 27, 2020, 11:46:36 pm
content: Have many other optionshttps://www.mikroe.com/mikroc-pic

author: JPortici
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2020, 06:12:54 am
content: yeah, mikroc has it own sets of issues starting from the IDE and what the IDE let you do (things could have improved in the past few years but i'm not going to hold my breath)IMHO XC8 still provides the best optimization and least bugs.I think i NEVER used the PRO version so i'm not really concerned about this change but, in principle, i am worried too.unfortunately microchip is driven by cow milkers, which is why we have to pay for higher optmiziationsand the guys in the engineering team fought really, really hard to convince the upper levels to give up -O2 for free, which happened about one year ago.Another thing that scares me is that it is an indicator that they are increasing the amount of control done over the internet. This became apparent some months ago after the release of MPLABX 5.35.. a bug in their servers rendered the thing useless for a complete work day because apparently it tries to fetch the list of supported parts and tools at launch..

author: AndyC_772
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2020, 06:15:42 am
content: Meanwhile, on another planet, ARM exists and gcc is free.If anyone is able to point me towards another microcontroller which runs at 5V and 150 deg C, I'd drop PIC like a hot rock right now.Anyone? Please?

author: JPortici
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2020, 11:20:32 am
content: There should be something from infineoni'll gladly stay with PICmaybe some SPC from either NXP or ST, but i don't remember if the 5V parts are rated to 150°C or just 125°C

author: jc101
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2020, 04:58:07 pm
content: The Dongle based licences are still listed, and never expire, plus will work for new compilers without needing HPA. Not the cheapest things, but once bought just keep on running.

author: kaz911
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2020, 05:48:47 pm
content: Quote from: jc101 on July 28, 2020, 04:58:07 pmyes and you can upgrade for the price difference....(asked yesterday)

author: voltsandjolts
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 29, 2020, 10:51:59 am
content: Quote from: AndyC_772 on July 28, 2020, 06:15:42 amSTM8, AVR if you require the 150C manufacturer rating.Of course there are a plethora of microcontrollers not manufacturer rated to 150C but will work just fine at that temperature (and more).5V is restrictive though, 3V3 would open more doors for you.I concede that Microchip has the broadest range of high-temperature capable microcontrollers and they are quite reliable.

author: voltsandjolts
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 29, 2020, 11:00:46 am
content: For the GNU based compilers there is this option:https://github.com/cv007/XC3216/blob/master/xc32xc16-info-rev6.txt

author: Mangozac
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 29, 2020, 11:44:25 pm
content: Quote from: voltsandjolts on July 29, 2020, 11:00:46 amSo hang on; all you have to do is place the specified one-liner file in the specified directory and it allows full optimisation?

author: JPortici
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 30, 2020, 05:43:54 am
content: Yepdoesn't work for XC8 though, which doesAGGRESSIVEcode size optimizations in pro mode (not sure about execution speed because in -O2 the code is already optimized a lot)

author: unitedatoms
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2020, 12:47:53 pm
content: Quote from: AndyC_772 on July 28, 2020, 06:15:42 amhttps://www.mouser.com/datasheet/2/196/Infineon-TLE9843QX-DS-v01_00-EN-1227839.pdfThis is Cortex M0 +150C, 5V with also 28V involved there somehow.

author: AndyC_772
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2020, 05:58:05 pm
content: Oooohh

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 26, 2020, 10:52:21 pm
content: I knew there was something that put me off two years ago when I first investigated PIC.Can I use gcc or some other free compiler and some other, free IDE with (old) PIC chips ?

author: greenpossum
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 26, 2020, 11:27:19 pm
content: SDCC supports some PICs.

author: rhodges
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 26, 2020, 11:37:10 pm
content: Quote from: cdev on August 26, 2020, 10:52:21 pmTwo years ago, I discovered STM8 and decided that PIC was in my rear view mirror.I guess I started working with PIC in the mid 1990's. It was way different from the 6809 that I was working on at the time. But it was interesting. The 6805 and 6811 had lost my interest. I forgot PIC for a decade while I did other embedded programming, then got back into their F (flash) chips. They were really nice for shortening the cycle. But PIC was still weird for programming. Maybe the easy way to explain it is to forget that you have few "real" registers, and that you have many memory based registers. Like the 6502 with its zero-page pointer space. So you have a crippled accumulator, but can access a large "sort of memory" space.Going back to topic, I have watched Microchip and their compiler program. And I think their compiler program is despicable. Their compiler should give the best possible code. Yes, it will be often be crap, and sometimes downright shitty. But they should give it to everyone who uses their chips. They are assholes for charging for software to sell their chips.QuoteAs another posted, SDCC is an option. I really like SDCC.

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 27, 2020, 03:10:40 am
content: Quote from: JPortici on July 30, 2020, 05:43:54 amIsn't it based on GCC? If so, theymustrelease the source according to GPL license, and thus their silly restrictions can be easily patched out.

author: andersm
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 27, 2020, 06:53:13 am
content: Quote from: amyk on August 27, 2020, 03:10:40 amNo.

author: JPortici
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 27, 2020, 08:53:32 am
content: XC8 has never been GCC.Well.. now that XC8 includes gcc-avr and they DO release the AVR parthttps://www.microchip.com/development-tools/pic-and-dspic-downloads-archive(search for source archives)But the PIC part has never been GCC.Also, i never ever EVER want to heal with SDCC again. I hate using bastardized C like in the sillab 8bitters.Again, before complaining do TRY comparing -O2 vs -O3 and see if the aggressive code size reduction made possible by procedural abstraction is worth the headaches in debugging.Not for me, more flash memory is cheaperQuote from: unitedatoms on August 01, 2020, 12:47:53 pmBecause it's a weird hybrid with an integrated LIN Transceiver. Cool, i guess, for a really really REALLY space and money constrained application but once they decide they don't want to support it anymore you are basically screwed.I haven't seen parts you can easily migrate toThere used to be a few around in the past, along with MCUs with integrated Sub GHz RX/TX. All are slowly fading out of existence..