It’s not a programming board, just a dev board. And yes, if you want to build a PIC programmer you’ll need a programmed PIC, but it’s easier just to buy one (a $30 PICkit from Microchip or ...

We set out to build a 100% DIY, scratch-built digital picture frame ... The bitmap images are stored on common, PC-readable microSD cards. A PIC microcontroller reads the images over a three ...