I prefer SourceBoost BoostC. It comes with both 16F and 18F compilers and will work with some 12F's as well.
The free demo is very useful - works for all chips. It's only limited for code size and RAM size. When you hit the limits of the demo, a full license is only around $75. Dirt cheap.
C is C. All the same. BoostC is reasonably close to ANSI standard, so it's pretty normal C.
Aside from register differences from PIC to PIC the language is the same regardless of which PIC you're targetting. If you want to see some simple example code for a range of different PICs, just dig through my web-site.
One nice thing you'll find with C is that very often, code written for one PIC can be moved to another model of PIC with very small changes. C is very portable.
**broken link removed**
Hitech has released their C compiler for PIC10/12/16 MCU unrestricted on code size.
Lite mode:
"Is a Free Download;
Supports all PIC10/12/16 devices; and
Has no memory or time restrictions.
However, OCG optimizations are disengaged. As a guide, code reduction in PRO mode is typically better than 50%. A compiler running in Lite mode can restore PRO mode performance by purchasing a license, or activating the 45 day evaluation."
**broken link removed**
Hitech has released their C compiler for PIC10/12/16 MCU unrestricted on code size.
Lite mode:
"Is a Free Download;
Supports all PIC10/12/16 devices; and
Has no memory or time restrictions.
However, OCG optimizations are disengaged. As a guide, code reduction in PRO mode is typically better than 50%. A compiler running in Lite mode can restore PRO mode performance by purchasing a license, or activating the 45 day evaluation."
Have you tried Proton Basic? £99 for a full licence, and the regular updates are free. There are some really good plugins, (also free) which make things like USB, LCD and GLCD's a breeze. It also works very nicely with PicKit2. Covers all 16F and 18F series, and I believe 24F soon too.
There is a free version which is limited to 50 lines of code
Regards Jim
Have you tried Proton Basic? £99 for a full licence, and the regular updates are free. There are some really good plugins, (also free) which make things like USB, LCD and GLCD's a breeze. It also works very nicely with PicKit2. Covers all 16F and 18F series, and I believe 24F soon too.
There is a free version which is limited to 50 lines of code
Regards Jim
Basic used to be simpler then C. Good modern basic compilers have a feature set nearly equivalent to C. At this point in time the ease of use claim is mostly a myth. Packaging and add on's have more to do with ease of use then the languages.
If you are going to study uc's at a collage or university chances are good that you will be using C.
Both are good languages. String handling is easier in basic. C often has a few things that can not be found in basic.