If you're looking for a good, solid C compiler for PIC microcontrollers, I would highly recommended that you try the free BoostC compiler from SourceBoost Technologies. I have found it to have many advantages over the free Hi-Tech PICC Lite compiler. It supports many more PICmicro devices and allows you to compile code up to 2K in size. It includes its own IDE and simulator, so you do not need to install and configure a separate IDE like MPLAB. This makes it much simpler and quicker to get up and running, especially for the beginner, and in my opinion the editor is better than the one in MPLAB. However, you still have the option to use the SourceBoost compiler with MPLAB if you choose to. Compilers for Basic and C++ are also included that work within the same IDE. If you decide to buy it, it is a whole lot less expensive than the Hi-Tech compiler. To go to their website, click on the SourceBoost IDE graphic.
