I can only speak for myself, I do not make as many projects from scratch as I used to, but when I do I find PicBasic the fastest to get something put together. I am using other pre-made platforms such as arduino, Raspberry Pie and generic cheap 32 bit ARM boards for experimenting. I have also noticed a decline in activity in this forum. A few years ago I used Microchip devices exclusively. Now not so much.

Dave