Hello Robert
You have posted so much and got your self wound up so much, this is going to take a long time to answer them all, but here goes.
First of all I don't seem to have got you PM you did say sent one didn't you.
On the question of who you think I am. I have never tied to hide my identity, even with the anagram (which I got wrong), there’s no rocket science in figuring that one out.
If you can bear with me I will give you a little history. I started using Pbro what must be 5 years ago now and was on the List which still runs today, I asked questions and got replies people helped me and I was extremely grateful. I vowed then to do my utmost to help others in return. From knowing nothing about programming I built up my skills and did my best to pass them on. There was Tip of the day and my automatic timer code generator written entirely with macro's and don't forget instant interrupts. I was one of, if not the first to post methods of providing lookup DW tables.
Then I had project that needed a GLCD so I was looking for a source and found Crownhill sold them. I called them up and asked some technical enquiries, I was put through to the writer of compiler Les (making the most of Pbpro fame) who started to talk about his compiler and what I would do including had better data handling. I though I would take a chance. When I first started using it it was not long before I came across the bugs, they were not in the standard commands but in the complex bank switching algorithm. I used to get really cheesed off and would fire of mails all the time, but Les listened worked really hard and came back with a fix the next day. This is how I became a beta tester because I was pushing the compiler to it’s limits, I could have just thrown in the towel and gone back to Pbpro. Only problem was Pbpro could not do what I wanted it to do with out resorting to all these workarounds. I also saw potential in the compiler and thought to make this a good compiler it really needs to properly tested, Les was doing his best but was unable to do every thing. Rather than just write back I would look at the ASM and find the fault and report back. This must be 3 years ago now so in that time I learnt a lot about the way the compilers works.
As you rightly point out I post an another form, 2,355 + posts to be exact, sure like all regular posters to forums were on an ego trip, we must do it for a fix or something because I sure as hell have other things I should be doing. If you read my posts you will see one consistent theme running through them, helping others. Every post where was a bug complaint I would test then hack the code to find out if there was a problem and if there was I would find a work around. Add to the the 100’s of hours writing code for other people, not just saying try this I actually write it for them! This as you will understand takes shed loads of time. Time that I should have been earning a better living, time I could have been with my family, many a night, I’ve gone to put the kids to bed to find it’s 10pm!
The other thing you will see that I set up with Oliver the user site again to help users not just the other compilers users but any body. This again has taken hours and hours of my time. Recently I decide that the user site was not working and needed a rewrite so I took a day of work to go up to Crownhill to talk about a revamp as they like they do with this forum pay for it. It became apparent that they were not going to rewrite it for me. Now I have no idea how to write HTML so I paid out of my own pocket in excess of $400 to get some one else to do it for me. It’s still not finished and I have a shed load of work to do transferring it all but I’m getting there.
Now why do all this? Because I want to help other Picbasic users. I don’t do it for the money nor does Les the other compiler writer. We do it because we want to put out the best product there is. Les could have stopped years ago in improving the product but he spends just about every night working on it making it better and better. The reason the upgrades are free is because he insisted on it . He just thinks it’s a dam cheek to have to pay to get bug fixes. He also insists that all new features are free. The new optimiser, have a look at C compilers it’s extra. He’s not content to sit back and put up with a so so compiler he wants the best that can be produced.
I have to state that while Les is now a good friend I make no money what so ever from sales of this compiler, no favours, nothing, zilch, absolutely zero.
You have accused me of coming on this forum trying to persuade people to buy this other compiler. What other compiler I make a very important point about not mentioning names. In the past I did I stepped out of line and then apologised for it and to this day I still which had not.
Look to the top of this thread and you might get some idea about why I originally posted it. I was just commenting on after all these years your having to do work arounds. Any thing else was said in response to replies. The one thing I should not have done in hind site is made the post comparing code size but when I did the test I could not believe the difference and did it almost on the spur of the moment I did give you warnings about it.
You will note that my aim here has not been to win customers for other compilers but to stand back in disbelief at what your putting up with. Still as Mel pointed out you should not complain about a product after you bought it. I just think that after 3 years and no improvements in it’s core functionality, you should start to ask questions. Read the posts it all there.
Now I have to say that I’m very disheartened with the action of on of the admin on this forum. When I looked earlier there was post to the effect of “I was trying to move this thread to another section and delete all the unwanted post and in the process managed to delete all the good stuff” Now I know that’s not exactly what was said but that was what I read it as. Now when I look that post has been removed and the original replaced. They obviously had second thoughts. Never in the history of the main forum I post on have they ever removed a thread (as far as I’m aware of). I used to note that Melabs were very selective in only keeping the good posts from the list, and obviously its spreading.
When you look through my 2000+ posts you will see I have never flamed any one. Even when they have asked the most daft questions I bit my tongued and never put any body down. In that last set of mails you have posted more insults than I have in my entire life.
I really could do not care if you buy or don’t buy any compile it’s no skin of my nose. All I care about is users get the best support they can and the best product. The fact that a number of you want to just sit back and accept the status quo on the pretence that "well yes it does produce bloat code and yes it is limited in functionality and yes I have to do loads of work a rounds to do the basic stuff "all on the pretence “well it is 100% bug free” is insult to the rest of the users. Look at the latest releases it say’s fixed…. fixed… even after all these years. Bugs are invertible. I would rather have a product that made it easy to write the complex code I need with out introducing more bugs due to my work a rounds and live with 1% chance of a bug that there is always a quick fix or work around for.
As you take such great exception to my posts I have decide to remove my self from this forum (if it’s possible) and try my hardest never to post here again.
If you looking for a response to any comments you have you may be disappointed.
I leave you with this. I have spent more money and time helping other users than anybody I know. If youre happy to live with your things as they are and your little work a rounds then you will be happy for a very long time.
Before I go I have to clarify that I am not Bot402 and have no idea who that person is. like me there just pointing out some home truths!
Originally Posted by Demon
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