BasicX platform

Nice description, but I'm not sure, if a virtual machine is a good idea for microcontrollers. Many applications are not time critical, so this is no problem, but there are always some critical parts, e.g. some bit banging functions for sensor chip reading, if not included as a hardware module (e.g. I2C) on the chip. If you write this in assembler, you can't use it for other chips. But if the Basic is compiled, you can use Basic even for the time critical parts and re-use it on other chips, too, if you write a compiler for it. You can even write the scheduler for multitasking in Basic (needs an interrupt for compiled code), if you need it. But if you don't need it for simple applications, it doesn't need space in the flash.

It's an interesting question as to which aproach is better in particular situations. Basic compilers for various microcontrollers have been around for a long time, but have not seen anywhere near the commercial success of the BasicX, Basic Stamp, etc. It could be argued that anyone who needs to do I2C bit banging has enough skills to prefer the control and power that is available by programming in assembly, Forth, or C. The BasicX and its competitors are the tool of choice for the non-programmer who wishes to automate a model railroad, radio control toy, christmas light display, automated plant watering system, or any of a thousand other embedded automation tasks that don't require any capabilities that the BasicX lacks. I used one a while back to impement an overspeed shutdown in a existing DVD mastering glass spinner. Yes, I could have spent half an hour programming a microcontroller and another half an hour building a board, but by using the BasicX, the whole thing took less than five minutes to implement, and the end result was very easy for the technicians to modify.