RE: Is Hitech C deliberately slugging code in the free version..?

 

Because they have added the ability to use any supported PIC, rather
than a tiny subset with memory limits.  You still have the choice of
using the PICCLite compiler if you are using one of the supported
devices.

 
> It's even stranger if you look at the number of compilers
> available now as opposed to when HiTech started out. There
> are a lot of good compilers for cheap or free now. And if you
> are a beginner or a hobbyist, why choose HiTech? It was
> always the compiler with the fewest features(no I/O or other
> neat functions)

If you mean clumsy and buggy peripheral library code as supplied with
some other compilers then no, they don't include that, and I for one
have never missed it.  None of the PIC's peripherals are particularly
complex to use, so writing/porting your own library code is not an
arduous task, and you end up with something that you understand
completely.

> but now it also produces the worst code. I
> certainly wouldn't try it or buy it, and I was actually a
> customer of theirs. I would not recommend it to anyone unless
> they had to do maintenance on an existing project.
>

And yet you judge this purely from their free compiler, rather than the
demo compiler that is for potential purchasers to evalutae the compiler
with?

> There's no longer a code size limit to the free version, but
> by generating code several times bigger than necessary, isn't
> that almost the same thing?

Almost, but not quite.  Are you suggesting they should give away a
compiler that has no restrictions whatsoever?

>
> I'm not sure the ability to use any chip is that appealing to
> a hobbyist or beginner. The old free compiler supported a few
> popular chips properly.
>

And they still have the choice to use that.

> I remember looking at the code generated by earlier versions
> and admiring how clever it was. The new stuff looks like junk.
>
> How can this be good for them?

Because as I explained, the ability to use any PIC is of a higher
priority than tight code for many hobbiests.  It was never designed to
provide a platform for evaluation of the generated code, the 45 day demo
is available for this.  For those who prefered the
limitations/advantages of the original compiler, it's still available.

Regards

Mike

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