Big time developers would STILL have ISP for field updates IFF Nuvoton pre-programmed the parts with a boot loader.

All's pre-programming with a boot loader does is make the raw/fresh from the factory devices usable by more people.

With a pre-programmed boot loader, an end user of a big time developers product could change out their micro on their own and plug in a totally virgin device, and provided they had the application code from the big time developer in binary form, download it immiediately - and be back up and running in no time.

As it is now, without a pre-programmed boot loader, the end user (who does NOT have a stand alone parallel programming machine) must instead order the fully programmed part from the big time developer.


The point is that without the pre-programmed boot loader NO ONE can do In System Programming. Not the big time developer, not the small time developer, not the end user, not the hobbyist - NO ONE. Not until they FIRST program the device in a parallel programming system.

It is beyond me why Winbond/Nuvoton has not been able to understand this.

I finally got an answer from a Nuvoton FAE. He confirmed there is NO pre-programmed boot loader.

"... The answer is yes, a boot loader must be pre-programmed
before the chip is soldered onto the board. We do provide
an ISP "kit" with a standard boot loader, which you can
modify for your own applications - see attached. This
provides flexibility as to how you want the boot loading to
be handled."


Provides "flexibilty" - Bull. REMOVES flexibility.

I have since asked him to provide their reasoning for NOT pre-programming the boot loader. I am anxciously awaiting what I fully expect to be the most lame excuse for poor product design we have ever seen.