is MPLAB for Linux available?

[Rodney]

I am interested in trying out some PIC experiments. Is MPLAB, the free aids for the PIC family, available that will run on Linux or must I stick to the Windows version?

[SETEC_Astronomy]

If you're only willing to use MPLAB natively I think you're out of luck but if you simply want to program PIC micros using Linux there are plenty of tools available to you. What Linux disto are you running or do you plan to run? The following are all open source, free and easy to use and install: gpsim, gcc, picasm, Piklab (full IDE), picprog, simulpic, gputils, odyssey, pikdev (IDE), and so on...... It's not open source but the free version of the HTSOFT PICC software PICC-Lite is available for Linux. You have PLENTY of options. If you're happy with MPLAB there's talk it's supported by WINE (Wine Is Not an Emulator, recursive acronym.) WINE is a Linux implementation of the Windows API. Using WINE is hit or miss though, some things work great while others fail miserably (itunes). Another option is to install VirtualBox (By SUN, Free Open Source version available) and run Windows in a Virtual Machine. If you want more info on the above let me know.

[Rodney]

Thanks for the info, I'll check those suggestions out as soon as I get a bit of time. I am using Ubuntu which is a basic Debian core.

[SETEC_Astronomy]

I use Ubuntu as well and everything I listed with the exception of Pikdev is available using the Synaptic Package Manager (System -> Administration or command line Apt-Get).