Obviously you have not used a PIC
I have.

Compatible? The LPC9xx are not 5V, nor are the Silabs.
totally irrelevant, if you design with 5V you use a 5V supply, if you design with 3V3, you use a 3V3 supply.

the LPC9xx scared the hell out a lot of designers in India. Philips seems to change the programming algo nearly every time they change their chip vendor.
Had you used NoTouch/FlashMagic, you would have had NO change.

Most PICs have common programming tools, Microchip has free software tools(compiler, IDE) for the 18F, 30F and the newer devices, the 16F and 12F lack only a compiler from the company.
I thoroughly detest chipmaker supplied tools, free or not. They STINK to high heaven. Why would a chipmaker spend tons of money on tools, their business is chips.

No Silab in DIP package
wrong and irrelevant too

Yes, I am comparing with whole list of companies you mention, except for TI and Philips who do give samples. But then again their distributors do not care to stock most of them. So the fact that 51 is the largest family is illusory in India.
I can appreciate that, but is that a reason to state what you say on a World-Wide basis?

What is the fascination with samples? a chip cost you $10 or less.
I would NEVER base a component choice on a companys willingness to give samples. The VFD I use is from a company that would only give me one sample, I have a drawer full of VFD samples from another company.

So I would never be so rash in knocking down a family without really working with it and even then not in such terms.
What "terms"?, OK, if the baby is yours, anything less than "how pretty" will be "terms"

Erik