Quote Originally Posted by robertc View Post
Hi all, am I correct in assuming there is more than one compiler using the name picbasic?
If so ,are these compatible in any way, i.e. can code published for one be used on another? I have downloaded the free version of picbasic pro and am currently trialling it prior to making a decision to purchase the full version. I seem to be able to understand and use it, so it must be good!
regards
Bob
Not really; there is only this one by MELabs. Some have confused the distributor in the UK as selling another, but it's this one. (That same distributor also sells their own compiler, but it is named Proton.)

PicBasic Pro (PBP) is, for the most part, compatible with Basic Stamp 2's.

Proton is almost fully backwards-compatible with PBP, with minor exceptions. Proton has many more commands, however, and an extended command set that allows a smaller code. (i.e. it allows settings to be fixed to reduce code size, with the option to make the settings variable.)

I have PBP and Proton. I use Proton a lot, but I have personally found three bugs in it. It does, compiler the code MUCH smaller, though, and so it executes a lot faster.

For slow-speed applications, or where maximum speed is not necessary, I'd use PBP. (Once when I ran out of space on my PIC, I switched to Proton, and had to change code for a few days, mostly due to the bug in that one PIC--BUT--PBP had the SAME BUG, so you can't totally favor either compiler on that one.)