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An LCD, built in switches? all ports accessible? Are you sure you aren't confusing a carrier board with a programmer? The carrier board is the circuit board with the PIC chip on it with switches and other doodads, and the programmer is a separate device that connects between the PC and PIC so you can upload code to it.
Some carrier boards have a programmer built-in so that you don't need a separate device- you can plug the PC cable into the board to program. Maybe this is what you are referring to? A carrier board with onboard programmer?
Anyways, if I had to buy a general purpose board full of switches, LCDs and an onboard programmer, I like these:
For dsPIC (digital signal processor PICs)
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For Regular PICs:
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You can just use the Microchip's student version of MPLAB2 with C-compiler addon to write code for the PICs (it's free). Then just use the software for the programmer to upload your code onto the board. Although I should mention that the makers of the above carrier boards have their own C compiler (which you have to buy) that is easier to understand. It is also more integrated and closely tied to their carrier boards
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(This C compiler only works for PIC chips, not dsPIC chips because they don't have a C compiler for them yet)