Answers to your questions

1) lets see if there is some interest from PBP users before we rush into making sections or links

2) Crownhill or Farnell or make your own its an open design and all data is available. There are already MANY clones available.

3) the Free Proton compiler is only 1 option, the hardware is OPEN and is valid for use with PBP, so why not use PBP???? The bootloader is agnostic, so you can use the bootloader to load your PBP compiled code

The object of the excersice is to take advanatge of the multitude of Arduino Shields that are available at VERY low cost. AMICUS 18 is simply a hardwrae platform that would enable PBP users to easily take advantage of ther massive amount of shields available.

4) at least look that the documentation and the schematics, the answer is YES, but for ease of use the Bootloader is FREE and open and works well with PBP

5) NO, go and buy ARDUINO SHIELDS, the point is that Arduino sheilds are CHEAP and readily available....Before Amicus18 there was no way for a PBP user to take advantage of the massive number of low cost sheilds that were designed for the Arduino. Now a PBP user can use those low cost easily available sheilds in the PIC environment.

Arduino is probably the MOST POPULAR develkpment platform in the world at present and has been for some time. NO PIC development platform has ever been as popular as the Arduino. Arduino is Atmel based and PBP users cannot take advantage of this popular platform unless they move to Atmel...which they don't want to do. So enter Amicus18.....