any news?

[joseLB]

Hi All, and ME team

I'm seeing little movement here (Aug-12, the last one = more than 1 month!).
Maybe there are no more bugs to discover? But I think the real point is that ME Team is not "telling us" the news.

So, a suggestion: How about ME team to put from time to time the progress, what they are doing, thinking, etc.
It could be on the "mikroPascal 8.3 beta" or "Beta Forum Announcement (read this first)". This could improve our knowledge and ansiety, also generate more feedback. Many times I changed a bit the course of development by suggestions from where I less expected to have
Jose

[zristic]

Taken into consideration.
Thanks for the suggestion.

[joseLB]

Taken into consideration.
Thanks for the suggestion.

Thanks Zoran. We are waiting anxiously the news!
And remember, Pascal is the most important compiler you have at ME... the others can wait...

[janni]

Maybe there are no more bugs to discover?

Unfortunately, no. For example, this

Code: Select all

program testv8a;

var bb: byte;
    x: real;

BEGIN
     bb:=Hi(x);
END.

stopped working in v 8.3 (does nonsensical assignment for PIC16s and reports error for PIC18s) - after a fix to bug reported in v 8.1.

Truth is, some of us took Zoran's words from 9th of July

Beta testing period will be opened for two weeks, starting from today, after which we will fix as much as possible...

more or less seriously and waited for the promised fixes to the bugs and quirks that were already reported .

For now, v 7 is still the most reliable one and there is still no word on progress on v 8.3 .

And remember, Pascal is the most important compiler you have at ME... the others can wait...

I wish... For the moment mC is a better compiler than mP or mB. Moreover, mE promised new compilers to AVR users who have many reasons to complain, and continues to work on compilers for 8051 family. Also dsPIC users have not seen a new version in over a year. There is little chance for present mP for PIC to obtain much attention, not to mention priority. There is even a chance that v 8.3 will never show-up - just like fixes to version 7. Instead, the new command-line compiler may take over.

[joseLB]

I wish... For the moment mC is a better compiler than mP or mB. Moreover, mE promised new compilers to AVR users who have many reasons to complain, and continues to work on compilers for 8051 family. Also dsPIC users have not seen a new version in over a year. There is little chance for present mP for PIC to obtain much attention, not to mention priority. There is even a chance that v 8.3 will never show-up - just like fixes to version 7. Instead, the new command-line compiler may take over.

I'm sorry "C" lovers, but can't imagine myself programing in C. There is no reason these days to do so, that's not for humans.

By this and others, I'm still in v6.x. I think we can't mix problems, I mean, when we are developing a new project, normally the problems in the circuit, program logic, etc, etc., are more than sufficient for our "enjoyment"... so, to introduce more uncertainities (the wrong generated code) in the process is a nightmare.

My reason to be using soley ME's solutions is exactly that: Just one place to buy boards and soft, working in harmony .
It's unimaginable to me to buy soft from one, boards from others, and make all that stuff to work more or less, if we are lucky or with lots of time to "experiment".

ME's proposal is fantastic for me. Just one shop point. But that is not for everyone. There are people that don't mind to have to "glue" things. ME is not for them, or in fact, they can purchase ME's boards and software form elsewhere (probably most of C users are in that category).

Maybe ME be somewat lost, I mean, they are tryig to have so many lines of solution (MP, MB, MC, with their's flavors), PIC, AVR, ...

So, maybe ME must decide what line they can really handle and maintain their proposal, for example, they could be complete, strong and unbeatable in PIC + it's variants (16,18,DS, 24, 32...) and Pascal (that's my wish).
They could do AVR's, etc. boards too, but people would need to go elsewere for soft (including C). On these other boards, they will be equivalent to the many others that do just boards.
Jose

[janni]

I'm sorry "C" lovers, but can't imagine myself programing in C. There is no reason these days to do so, that's not for humans.

Well said . I'm no C enthusiast myself, just stated the fact to show where mE priorities lay. At the moment mC produces more optimised code for PICs and contains less bugs than mP or mB.

By this and others, I'm still in v6.x.

Yeah, we'll stick to old versions with known bugs until something stable arrives...

Maybe ME be somewat lost, I mean, they are tryig to have so many lines of solution (MP, MB, MC, with their's flavors), PIC, AVR, ...

Yeah, mE is certainly spread thin over too many compilers and it shows in users' opinions reflecting the compilers quality. (Better not to check what AVR users think now .)

It hurts to see that so much skill and commitment goes wrong way, but I don't think my observations or advices would be welcomed, so I'll stop here without needlessly irritating anybody.

[joseLB]

Hi ME team, let's put here things clear, before any misunderstanding.
1- I love your products, they are really fantastic (Pascal + boards)! But they can be better. 2 examples:\
----1.1 - EP5 could have the same thing than PicFlash, I mean something that I could ICD's an external pic/circuit (IDC10 connector), not just in the EP5. Or somekind of a "topboard, with cables, that we could test an external PIC/ circuit.
----1.2 - give more attention to Pascal, I mean, let the complex things for later, and pay attention in the basic bugs related thru the forums.
2- I love your Pascal, and will stay with it, no matter to be v6.x. Please, don't relax after I had said that, huh!
3- I see that C forum is bigger than Pascal's one. Probably most of them they are Linux lovers and eletronic engineers with low background in programming tecnics. So, probably your commercial view will be with them, probably you sell more to these guys.... (unfortunatedly for me). But, not always the better is the most used (Pascal x C). Not everybody has "pedigree" to understand the beauty of Pascal...
4- My points in this thread are a kind of helpfull ones, I mean, I just put here something for your reflection.
5- I don't like C just because it permits anyone to do a mess with a program, beside stimulates poor documentation. And gives no clear return for that, considering compilers of the same level.
6- I would change a bit Zoran's signature: "If you feel to have nothing to do then consider putting some comments in your code." to "before to do anything in a program, consider to put some comments in your code."

and, finally, ME team, please, tell us what you are doing in a regular basis!Tell us something! Please, reduce our anxiety...

[piort]

please, tell us what you are doing in a regular basis!Tell us something! Please, reduce our anxiety...

yeah ! valium are expansive

[joseLB]

...but I don't think my observations or advices would be welcomed, so I'll stop here without needlessly irritating anybody.

Janni, you'r one of the biggest and assiduos contributors of this forum, I'm sure that your oppinions, suggestions are always trying to help and improve. There is no reason to think other ways.
Many times you had helped me with your advices and your libraries are great too.

So, don't worry, ME team knows exactly that as always, your are trying to help them and ourselfes.
Jose

[janni]

Well, thanks Jose, but look at it from the other side: you work hard believing you make exceptionally good product and there is one guy, you never even seen face to face, who seemingly does nothing else but finds faults in your work. All the time. It's like an itch that never goes away . After some time you start to hate it, even if it's keeping you in touch with reality. Progress isn't made by angels, you know. They're too serene for it .

So, assuming that mE guys are flesh & blood human beings, I try not to push them into insanity and somewhat limit my forum activity by saving them at least some of my 'good advices'. (Not that it helps my already ruined opinion ). Will not stop pointing out bugs and quirks, though, as they influence my job. I treat mP as a valuable tool and expect the same approach from mE.

BTW, Jose, have you noticed that I've used your idea (and the name) of MakroIt to help the users of extended GLCD library? Only I've used Delphi, not AutoIt.

[joseLB]

BTW, Jose, have you noticed that I've used your idea (and the name) of MakroIt to help the users of extended GLCD library? Only I've used Delphi, not AutoIt.

Very good news! I didn't know. Did you posted in the forum? Where? that's important...

[janni]

Right here: http://www.mikroe.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15260. There's even a Basic version in mB forum.

[joseLB]

Thanks Janni I gave q quick look. It works in 16F? If not, what makes it (and your string lib) to not work in 16F?
Jose

[janni]

It was written for PIC18 processors as they have bigger resources and the library is rather extensive. Naturally, one does not have to make use of all of it's features, so PIC16 version could make sense. I guess I could prepare such version when time permits.

It's different with the stringslib, though. It's mostly written in assembly .