Many designers need a free C compiler. The 8, 16 and 32-bit Free editions of Microchip’s new MPLAB XC simplified line of C compilers, announced today from DESIGN West in San Jose, California, supports all of its approximately 900 (ds)PIC microcontrollers, offer many optimizations, are fully functional and have no license restrictions for commercial use. The new compilers improve code execution speed by about 30% and reduce code size by about 35%. For those who want to test their code with the Pro optimization levels, which are approximately 50% better than the Free editions, evaluation editions of the Pro edition are available that last for 60 days, after which they convert to the Free compilers. Like the Free editions, the evaluation editions are fully functional and have no license restrictions for commercial usage.

 

MPLAB XC makes it easy to move code from any of the manufacturer’s existing compilers. Additionally, MPLAB XC operates seamlessly within the universal, cross-platform and open-source MPLAB X integrated development environment, reducing both learning curves and tool investments. MPLAB XC compilers are also compatible with the legacy MPLAB IDE. Linux, Mac OS and Windows operating systems are supported.