HB-IC3.x-ED (US$33.00)
HB-IC3.x-COM (US$70.00)
Licensed version of Interactive C V3.x for educational or commercial products. Both copies function the same except using in different purposes. It is available in many different platforms (WIN95/WIN98/NT, Macintosh, SunOS, Solaris, Linux, and SGI). Please specify the platform while ordering the compiler. The default platform will be in WIN95/WIN98/NT.
Interactive C 3.x is a C language to program MIT handyboard for Robotic activities or experiments. It provides a great way for Robotic programming with provided libraries such as DC motor control, servo motor control, on-board IR demodulator control, and LCD message printing. The compiler is developed by Newton Research Labs.
Release Note of Interactive-C 3.x For those who have only used the freeware IC 2.8, we hope you'll be pleased at the improvements with IC 3.x:
•Better integration into the Windows and Macintosh environments.
•Integrated development environment for Windows and Macintosh, including built-in editor (for those who wish to use it).
•Integrated C preprocessor, including the ability to use #defined macros at the commandline (a feature not even found in standard desktop computer C environments, let alone environments for microcontrollers).
•Standard C features such as structs and multidimensional arrays.
•Integrated (and automatic) pcode downloader for Windows and Macintosh, including support for the Handy Board and other boards based on the 6811A1/E1.
For those comparing Interactive C to other C compilation environments, here are some of the features of Interactive C that helped make the MIT LEGO Robot Contest a success:
•Integrated compiler/debugger. You can easily try out C statements and expressions at the commmandline, before writing them into code.
•Easy-to-use and completely integrated multitasker, with simple syntax, allowing you to write behavioral-style programs.
•"Persistent" variables, which keep their state in between runs of your software. This allows you to change calibrations or store information that doesn't get wiped out each time you start your code.
•Easy-to-use libraries for Handy Board, 6.270 board, and Rug Warrior, with "printf" to LCD screen.
•Dynamically linkable ".icb" drivers.
•The ability to use #define macros for more efficient code, yet still type expressions and statements using macros interactively at the commandline.
•Crash-proof operation. Randy Sargent and Fred Martin designed Interactive C to solve one of the biggest problems facing the MIT EGO robot contest 6 years ago: "Why did my board crash?" Typical bugs in C or assembly, in a typical environment, will often cause a robot controller board to crash. Also, typical hardware problems, such as improperly connected peripherals, cold solder joints, flakey battery connections, etc, often cause a board to crash. Trying to track down software bugs can be challenging if you don't know for certain that the hardware is stable. With Interactive C, if your board crashes, you can narrow the problem down to hardware.
We accomplish crash-proof operation with the following features:
•Complete type safety. Unlike typical versions of C which require users to correctly enter function prototypes and external declarations for proper compilation, Interactive C verifies correct arguments for all function calls and types across separate ".c" files. •Array bounds checking. Array bounds are verified, preventing writing off the ends of arrays and corrupting memory.
•Free updates to future versions of IC 3.X.
Ordering:
Interactive-C is can be purchased in four different forms:
•Interactive-C 3.1 for commercial/professional use, for download with electronic manual. (MSRP $70)
•Interactive-C 3.1, discounted for personal/educational use, for download with electronic manual. (MSRP $33)
•Interactive-C 3.1 for commercial/professional use, for download, with electronic and hardcopy manual. (MSRP $100)
•Interactive-C 3.1, discounted for personal/educational use, for download, with electronic and hardcopy manual. (MSRP $60)
Note that IC discounted for personal and educational use is functionally identical to IC for commercial and professional use. Please choose based on your use of the software.
huip@hkstar.com