I'm not at all sure what you've said here, but, somehow, I doubt you know, either.



Gee ... it takes me a day just to switch from one vendor's tools to another, and I've done it dozens of times. Unless you're programming a device to be a flipflop or a simple gate, I think there's room for doubt.

Remember, too, that you're the guy who doesn't need a cycle-by-cycle simulation of what you do. While that may be the case for you, as you know absolutely everything there is to know about the devices you routinely use, in a programmable logic device of any sort, you have to cover all the possible cases, not just the ones you think you might encounter.

The reason I have as many computers as I do is because simulations might take a week or two at a pass, particularly since the "free" tools are "hobbleware," being intentionally "limited" (slowed down once the design takes on reasonable proportions). I think one day might be long enough to get through the programming task, i.e. how to inject the bitstream into the device, but not for a complete lesson in design, development, and verification.

RE