On Sat, 27 Feb 2010 22:41:38 -0500, "Stan Starinski"
wrote:

I am really against Mikroelektronika and the fact their IDE is not free,
unlike Microchip MPLAB IDE.

I would suggest Microchip ICD3, MPLAB IDE, and QL200 as development board
UNLESS that board is not using MPLAB + C18 which I don't know yet.
I just stick with manufactuer's own solutions, not Mikroelectronika and
their Basic or Pascal language.

Are you SERIOUS?
Basic is a TOY language. It's only good for non-critical and small
projects, and VisualBasic is only good for creating GUI and simple
scripts/automation.
Anything complicated written in Basic is prone to bugs and failures, it's
unfit for industrial applications.

On the contrary, C language is used to create OTHER languages and whole
operating systems and is a de-facto standard for critical apps.
It's clear why you and some others choose Mikroelektronika dev board and
their lame Basic compiler/interpreter - simplicity.

OK if simplicity is the goal and you're not a professional engineer, go with
it.

But if you want to be a professional - drop Basic for embedded design today.
Start learning C language.

If you limit yourself to a single programming language you become a
"One Trick Pony"! Until you grasp the basics of each you cannot
appreciate their respective values. My personal favorite is Pascal. I
like to use Procedures as well as functions.

OTH, "c" as defined by K&R will accomplish the same goals with fewer
instructions for the programmer to remember. It does the heavy lifting
through the many libraries. Its limitations are intentional: Many of
the features in Pascal are inclined to generate big, slow code.

Basic started small and simple but has grown into a mature language
that is popular and efficient.

All three have instruction sets that permit and encourage manipulation
at the bit/byte level. That is important to me.

Today's really big curse is the IDE that comes with most packages.
They all seem different and have their own quirks. Learning the
language has become secondary to learning the "current environment'.
Programming for a Windows environment is different than programming
for a Linux or an embedded environment.

Higher level languages have more limitations but in general take less
manpower to get a given job done, IF that given job is a good fit to
that language.

If you are making your living as a programmer or developer the market
or your employer will make the decision for you so what is best is not
your decision!



Whatever you prefer, it hampers your personal development to become a
"one trick pony".
John Ferrell W8CCW