Subject: Re: [vhdl-200x] Re: VHDL 200x request
From: Jim Lewis (Jim@synthworks.com)
Date: Fri Oct 10 2003 - 10:27:42 PDT
I agree with implementing a function like DATE.
However, an API to go out to a USB or Parallel Port to
do licensing is probably better done through a C interface.
I also agree that VHPI is a non-trivial task and I don't
think it will be great for the typical design engineer.
Having direct "C" which executes based on
sequential or concurrent statement semantics, would be
very intuitive and immediately useful to design and
verification engineers.
Regards,
jim
Jayaram Bhasker wrote:
> Using VHPI is a non-trivial task for a typical designer. I am not too concerned about
> implementation, but providing native VHDL features has its usefulness - users need learn,
> use and debug only one thing.
>
> NOW is a good example. People use it without concern of the implementation. If there was
> a function DATE, people would again use it without having to be concerned about implementation.
>
> I am not sure why there would be a language bloat. All we would do is provide is additional
> utility functions which are either part of STD or maybe in a different package.
>
> - bhasker
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: John Shields [mailto:jshields@Synopsys.COM]
> Sent: Friday, October 10, 2003 1:04 PM
> To: John Willis; Jim Lewis; Jayaram Bhasker; vhdl-200x-tbv@eda.org;
> vhdl-200x@eda.org
> Cc: Ofer Hofman; Nir Hamzani; dennis@ftlsys.com
> Subject: RE: [vhdl-200x] Re: VHDL 200x request
>
>
> Given that VHPI provides a standard way of writing foreign functions
> and procedures, what criteria will compell the environment group to provide
> duplicate mechanisms? I am concerned in general that language changes
> have a high leverage result. Would you really write the random number generator
> in VHDL, if you had a built-in function for the real time clock or would you
> still code it in C? Is there really a performance issue that makes
> direct C the answer? (I see it as justified for other reasons and
> just an alternative here) Whatever the answer, it is important that 200x
> be aggressive about avoiding feature bloat IMHO. I believe that is Jim's
> point also.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-vhdl-200x@eda.org [mailto:owner-vhdl-200x@eda.org]On Behalf
> Of John Willis
> Sent: Friday, October 10, 2003 9:02 AM
> To: Jim Lewis; Jayaram Bhasker; vhdl-200x-tbv@eda.org; vhdl-200x@eda.org
> Cc: Ofer Hofman; Nir Hamzani; dennis@ftlsys.com
> Subject: Re: [vhdl-200x] Re: VHDL 200x request
>
>
> Adding an API call for access to the real-time clock sounds like
> a great idea! Can we introduce this through the environment effort?
>
> John
>
> --On Friday, October 10, 2003 08:29:31 AM -0700 Jim Lewis
> <Jim@synthworks.com> wrote:
>
>
>>Parallel port and USB ports are used for license dongles.
>>Access to them would allow license access to be coded in VHDL.
>>
>>On the other hand, I believe the environment group is planning
>>on having direct executing C. Does C have an API and/or library
>>that already does some of this type of stuff. I think it would
>>be far more effective to leverage some of the existing stuff
>>rather than re-creating our own.
>>
>>
>>Cheers,
>>Jim
>>
>>
>>
>>Jayaram Bhasker wrote:
>>
>>
>>>Hello Ofer:
>>>
>>>Thank you very much for the feedback.
>>>
>>>We will consider your requested features: real-time clock, and random
>>>number generation. I did not understand:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>>Another example could be accessing the parallel port or the USB port
>>>>>of the computer.
>>>
>>>
>>>Can you please elaborate?
>>>
>>>- bhasker
>>>
>>>------
>>>J. Bhasker, eSilicon Corp
>>>1605 N. Cedar Crest Blvd, Ste 615, Allentown, PA 18104
>>>jbhasker@esilicon.com, 610.439.6831, 610.770.9634(fax)
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>From: Ofer Hofman [mailto:ofer.h@sital.co.il]
>>>Sent: Thursday, October 09, 2003 3:21 AM
>>>To: Jayaram Bhasker
>>>Cc: Nir Hamzani
>>>Subject: VHDL 200x request
>>>
>>>
>>>Dear J. Bhasker,
>>>
>>> I have seen the VHDL-200x Testbench & Verification PPT and was very
>>>impressed. 200x looks like a very wide project.
>>>
>>> I am teaching & writing VHDL for over 13 years.
>>>
>>> One issue that comes up many times in my Test Benches is the ability
>>>to read the real time clock of the computer I am running simulation
>>>on, in particular, and accessing the host computer's hardware in
>>>general. Today these tasks are done through FLI (C) but there is no
>>>real reason why it could not be done through VHDL.
>>>
>>> A simple usage of the real time clock read is generation of random
>>>numbers. Benchmarking performance of a VHDL program run could be another.
>>>
>>> Another example could be accessing the parallel port or the USB port
>>>of the computer. With that available, one could license his VHDL code
>>>if sent in compiled format.
>>>
>>>Best Regards,
>>>Ofer Hofman
>>>Sital Technology
>>>
>>>-------------------------------------------------
>>> SITAL Technology
>>>
>>> LEADING H D L SOLUTIONS
>>> LEADING N E T W O R K SOLUTIONS
>>>
>>>Mobile: +972-52-614373 mailto:ofer.h@sital.co.il
>>>Voice : +972-4-6442071 FAX: +972-4-6442796
>>>
>>> http://www.sital.co.il
>>>-------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>>Rain precipitation in Timrat
>>>2000/1 439 mm
>>>2001/2 672 mm
>>>2002/3 752 mm
>>>2003/4 002 mm
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>--
>>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>Jim Lewis
>>Director of Training mailto:Jim@SynthWorks.com
>>SynthWorks Design Inc. http://www.SynthWorks.com
>>1-503-590-4787
>>
>>Expert VHDL Training for Hardware Design and Verification
>>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>
>
>
>
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------
> John Willis jwillis@ftlsys.com
> FTL Systems Inc. FTL Systems UK Ltd
> 1620 Greenview Drive SW 2 Venture Road
> Rochester, MN 55902 Chilworth Science Park
> United States United Kingdom
> 1.507.288.3154 (Voice) 44.2380.767.700(Voice)
> 1.507.289.1108 (FAX) 44.2380.760.543 (FAX)
> http://www.ftlsystems.com http://www.ftlsystems.co.uk
>
>
>
-- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jim Lewis Director of Training mailto:Jim@SynthWorks.com SynthWorks Design Inc. http://www.SynthWorks.com 1-503-590-4787Expert VHDL Training for Hardware Design and Verification ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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