Absolutely fundamental requirements of a compiler are variable and data handling support. After that you add the rest, Serial and coms handling, display etc etc.

I Stopped using Pbpro because 2 years ago because of the lack of the basic's. Since then I have seen Proton grow and grow with a very large collection of new commands and data structures being added. To add just one new variable type takes a massive amount of effort, every permutation of its interaction with another variable and command has to catered for and checked, but this is style of the support you get from Crownhill and Les, forever striving to improve there product and support there customers.

Who provides and runs this Forum and the Pbpro List? Who goes to all the effort to set up a dedicated site to provide a depository for users programs and tips (Proton Users site)? Who invests time and money and effort to provide Free Bug fixes and additional Pic support? Who puts effort into brining in third pary support?

Crownhill and Les that’s who!!!

You go to any site that supplies a compiler and you will see "Forum" listed. Go to Melabs and you see Buy Buy Buy. All there interested in is your money, product development? No that would cost to much!! Now that does not mean that Melabs are not putting some money back in but I can’t see it, and as per there normal practice you will have to pay for it and it will be through the nose

"create your own" is typical of Melabs attitude to there customers.

Sure you can spout your programming skills Melanie, you are obviously very talented but what you have done can be done with any compiler, its just down to the programmer manipulating simple statements, if then, else, a = b etc (and an eeprom because of the crap data handling). High level compilers are supposed to make life easy for the programmer, and if you are expected to do most of it your self (as with C) it should provide the core ability to do so i.e. Functions etc

BTW timers are piss easy I have a piece of code that has over 40 running, they are a basic core of any program.