The PIC microcontroller is enormously popular both in the U.S. and abroad. The first edition of this book was a tremendous success because of that. However, in the 4 years that have passed since the book was first published, the electronics hobbyist market has become more sophisticated. Many users of the PIC are now comfortable shelling out the $250 for the price of the Professional version of the PIC Basic (the regular version sells for $100). This new edition is fully updated and revised to include detailed directions on using both versions of the microcontroller, with no-nonsense recommendations on which is better served in different situations.