Unable to execute MPASMX

[Ioannis]

After Mikes post on Melabs about Melabs I doubt...

Too pity!

Ioannis

[tumbleweed]

They most likely don't do it intentionally but Microchip sure is screwing it up...

I don't think they give a ****.

All of this was brought to their attention a while back and the response was basically "sucks to be you".
It was "too hard" to convert mpasmx to 64-bit, and they "have to have all 64-bit tools" because MPLABX
is cross platform now and one of the popular fruit vendors dropped support for 32-bit apps in their latest OS update.

It seems that the engineer(s) who worked on mpasm have left (or been fired), and the XC8 team is left holding the bag.
They just substituted the assembler used by XC8 (which was part of the HITECH stuff mchip got when they bought them).

Progress, boys and girls, progress! Who wants to be using some old 32-bit app? This is 2020... get with the program!

[mpgmike]

As it stands, Charles has told me that there will be updates to PBP3, but nothing past using MPLABX v5.35 because of the obvious MPASM death. However, if you download MPLABX v5.35 and create a new project, the first question is pick a PIC. In the drop-down you'll see scads of PICs that aren't yet covered by PBP3. There are new chips you can't even buy yet, like the PIC18FxxQ83 & Q84. I don't see PBP lying in its death bed with one barely slit eye just yet. There's still lots of life left in it.

[Ioannis]

Comforting what Mike post but you can't disagree the PBP evolution seems to be on Auto-Pilot...

I 'm still using the compiler and probably will be using it as long as the chips I select are supported.

But one point in time I'll have to consider seriously the next step.

Ioannis

[HenrikOlsson]

Hands up those who'll throw $100 Charles way to support him.
If we'd setup some sort of crowdfunding compain, how much do you guys think we'd raise? My guess - enough to cover a couple of hours worth of work….Never the less, if it'll help Charles/MeLabs I'd certainly pitch in.

It sure looks like learning C is, by far, THE best bet if you're in this for the long run and want to keep up with new offerings. Until the day PBP goes subscription I'll keep hoping and be willing to support MeLabs by paying reasonable (which certainly has been the case this far) upgrade charges.

I did look at Swordfish and it had zero updates for YEARS (according to the version history), then all of a sudden it sprung to life again. I wonder if they rely on MPASM and how they'll this, same with MikroE - I don't know how their stuff "works" but something tells me they're not relying on MPASM and they certainly have more Resources available to stay compatible with Microschip.

[Ioannis]

I did look at Swordfish and it had zero updates for YEARS (according to the version history), then all of a sudden it sprung to life again. I wonder if they rely on MPASM and how they'll this, same with MikroE - I don't know how their stuff "works" but something tells me they're not relying on MPASM and they certainly have more Resources available to stay compatible with Microschip.

It seems that they rely on MPLBX: https://www.sfcompiler.co.uk/wiki/pm....SystemConvert but is a good option now they support it again.

As for the MikroE, previous versions had a lot of bugs. Also produces more code than PBP. So, for me it is a no at this moment.

Ioannis

[tumbleweed]

(swordfish) I wonder if they rely on MPASM

Yes they do, but since it's only for the PIC18F series it's a little easier for them.

I understand they'll be extending the existing MPASM to deal with new chips for a while, at least until mchip change something else
in the 18F that makes it not work anymore.

[Dave]

For the last 20 or so years I have enjoyed using PBP for work and at home for my own projects. I would hate to see it die a slow death. So far it has been very useful with some of the newer PIC's I have been using. I am looking forward to seeing a new release of the product some day.......

[Ioannis]

Henrik, no one denied the paid new update to PBP. The problem is that Melabs is Charles and Charles is working somewhere, not at Melabs as his day job.

So this update think will take more time to happen...

Ioannis

[richard]

It sure looks like learning C is, by far, THE best bet if you're in this for the long run and want to keep up with new offerings.

you don't want to leave it too late. i would not be surprised to see things heading towards c++ eventually, thats a far bigger hurdle to jump than basic to C. the way microchip are leading us with the mcc for the newer more complex chips makes the hardware more abstracted from the coder, more like "code objects" than modules. it suits the object orientation of c++. the recent change from c90 to c99 has made a lot of my "methods" obsolete, you get something sorted out working fine then whoops the rug is pulled out from under your feet. the world just won't sit still, if you get too far out of step its not easy to catch up

Until the day PBP goes subscription I'll keep hoping and be willing to support MeLabs by paying reasonable (which certainly has been the case this far) upgrade charges.

it depends on your definition of an upgrade , just barely marginal support for a few extra chips does nothing for me.
i want to see proper support for the new hardware modules, pps what about arrays in linear memory space
80 byte max array for new pic16f is pathetic. no hw spi or i2c why ?