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Re: Microchip makes a jump over all other CPU makers

Cross-posted to 2 groups.

Followups directed to: comp.os.linux.advocacy, comp.os.linux.embedded

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David Brown wrote:

> On 11/06/13 21:27, 7 wrote:
>> Microchip makes a jump over all other CPU makers
>> ------------------------------------------------
>>
>> Microchip has just released a chip
>>
>>   http://www.microchip.com/get/eu5vmicrostick
>>
>> that makes a jump over all other competing CPUs.
>>
>> Despite being a tiny chip, it connects directly to PC
>> through USB lead. Taking power from the USB lead, it
>> can be powered up, programmed and debugged without
>> ANY of the usual external components or programmers
>> needed to do this.
>>
>> This leaves ARM world and intel world trailing
>> because they require special JTAG or other types of
>> programmers to get their chips up up and running and that
>> costs money.
>>
>> The software for it can be written in C
>> and runs in netbeans IDE that uses
>> a variant of gcc as the compiler, and it all runs on Linux!!
>>
>> Microchip has delivered some 1 billion chips to one customer
>> alone! (Samsung.)
>>
>> But this new feature will allow any school kid to connect
>> up a chip by hand soldering a few components
>> and start programming it with industrial strength C backed
>> up by the power of Linux, Netbeans IDE and gcc.
>>
>> PICs are superior when it comes to header files that describe
>> CPU. Every single register and bit field is defined in a
>> header file so when writing software and changing CPUs, its
>> no effort at all. PortA.bit1 means port a and bit 1 regardless
>> of CPU. Compare that with the crap from the ARM world.
>> Going from Cortex M0 to Cortex M3 your UART will be called
>> UART0 to USART0. ABSOLUTELY *FCKING* MAD!! This is a deliberate
>> abject failure of MBAs (read non-techies running the show)
>> that kills their own markets. It gets worse - the bit fields
>> have no names. So you might call bit 11
>> of port3 PIO3_11, while the guy in the next cubicle
>> calls it PORT3_11. And now the code is impossible to
>> knit together.
>>
>> As the CPUs get larger and become SoCs, then even
>> registers don't have header files and names.
>> Which absolutely and completely cripples portability of software,
>> sales for chip vendors, and sales for ARM.
>>
>> Microchip still haven't a chip that is fast enough to
>> run Linux or big enough to run Linux, but they could
>> and should do it, and release header files for their SoCs,
>> and also have this USB connector programmer feature
>> in, and they will just sweep the entire market.
>> ARM and their crap will become a nobody overnight.
>>
> 
> Microchip has made a demo/eval board with a built-in USB debugger, for a
> crappy microcontroller.  That's not exactly big news - pretty much every
> microcontroller manufacturer does the same (though few have as horrible
> architectures as PICs, excluding the MIPS PIC32).
> 
> Microchip makes a crippled demo version of its compiler available for
> free - that's hardly news either.
> 
> What /is/ outstanding is that their compiler is gcc - and they use
> user-unfriendly licensing of their library and headers (of which you are
> so fond) to force people to pay for an open-source compiler written by
> volunteers and companies (including Microchip's competitors).


It plainly indicates one CPU with USB and 'built in debugger' but that claim
is very misleading. Looking at the circuit diagrams, the blurb is definitely 
misleading. There are two CPUs on the one board (the one not shown in photo) 
that is the debugger. There is no debugger inside the chip shown.

Back to the drawing board until someone brings out a chip with just wires 
for USB connector and debugger and USB controller 100% built into the chip.

The basic gcc compiler is free with all those header files, and without 
support. The optimizing compiler with support is not free. Having used both, 
there is no improvement in the code space if you already program optimally.
The optimizing compiler is just a way in to buy support.

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Thread

Microchip makes a jump over all other CPU makers 7 <email_at_www_at_enemygadgets_dot_com@enemygadgets.com> - 2013-06-11 20:27 +0100
  Re: Microchip makes a jump over all other CPU makers David Brown <david.brown@removethis.hesbynett.no> - 2013-06-12 01:50 +0200
    Re: Microchip makes a jump over all other CPU makers 7 <email_at_www_at_enemygadgets_dot_com@enemygadgets.com> - 2013-06-12 19:09 +0100
      Re: Microchip makes a jump over all other CPU makers "Arie de Muynck" <nospam@nospam.com> - 2013-06-21 15:35 +0200
        Re: Microchip makes a jump over all other CPU makers 7 <email_at_www_at_enemygadgets_dot_com@enemygadgets.com> - 2013-06-21 21:26 +0100
          Re: Microchip makes a jump over all other CPU makers Mark S Bilk <mark@cosmicpenguin.com> - 2013-06-21 21:17 +0000
            Re: Microchip makes a jump over all other CPU makers Snit <usenet@gallopinginsanity.com> - 2013-06-21 15:10 -0700
            Re: Microchip makes a jump over all other CPU makers Octothorpe <Octothorpe@invalid.com> - 2013-06-22 10:57 -0400
              Re: Microchip makes a jump over all other CPU makers jeffj@panix.com (Jeff Jonas) - 2013-06-26 17:22 -0400
  Re: Microchip makes a jump over all other CPU makers GreyCloud <mist@cumulus.com> - 2013-06-21 18:09 -0600
    Re: Microchip makes a jump over all other CPU makers Phil Carmody <thefatphil_demunged@yahoo.co.uk> - 2013-08-01 16:14 +0300

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