Yes they are really different animals indeed. 'Till now, the only few Compiler i know that support them is
Microchip c30
Hi-Tech C
and MikroElektronika

C30 work pretty good.. but i don't like it. Hi-Tech is really nice... but a bit expensive if you use it for your own home-made purpose. MikroElektronika... i don't know.

And yes, ASM is still free... but a pain

Let's see what will happen.. finger crossed!