Hi Terri,

If you decide on the ATMega8, the forum on AVRFreaks.net is just about as active as this one. Like the 8052, AVR tools like assembler and simulator are available for free. Generally, the AVR C compilers are less expensive. You can do a lot with a STK-500 development board, which is about $80.

But then again you can get the Cygnal development board that Michael is always talking about for not much more.

I personally use both the 8052 and the AVR, and I find I really like the ISP capabilities of the AVR parts. But then again I'm not using the ISP-capable 8052 parts that are available.

Which uC is best depends on what you need to do.

Dennis