[hpsdr] "FPGA Floor Planning"

[Joe Martin]

Thanks for your considered response, Scott, as opposed to an immoderate and unhelpful knee-jerk response.  You make very good points, I think, and I bow to your postion which is clearly based upon your system engineering experience.   It is, nonetheless, my belief that there remains a strong argument in favor of maintaining and utilizing the free Quartus versions even if someone elects to obtain and apply more powerful tools.  Further, as has been pointed out, sometimes more powerful, proprietary tools have the potential to preclude use of the less powerful ones at some point and that would be unfortunate.  

I think you have significantly overstated and implied an incorrect situation exists regarding the extent of limitations of using the free versions of Quartus by posing your previous question in the manner that it was asked.  The question:

> How is it that the free version of Quartus is sufficient when just recently both the Angelia and Orion firmware updates required multiple, rapid iterations and still apparently either don't work at all, don't work for everyone, or work but have to trade-off previous functionality for new functionality?

 
is an implied misrepresentation of the actual facts.  What you appear to be referring to in this question are events that have occurred during early-stage development of new-protocol firmware for various platforms in which some features in some versions were temporarily removed to better illucidate technical issues.  These firmware versions were never intended as final firmware versions, but rather were created to serve as place holders during development until such time as the more difficult features are successfully implemented.  

As for multiple iterations, multiple iterations are part of the development process and would continue to be part of the process even if more powerful tools were in use, of course.  Unless I’m mistaken the apparent “trade-off” of functionality for new functionality to which you refer has to do with the efforts to implement  the new protocol on the various platforms.  In truth, all or at least most of the previous functionality of our firmware has already been restored in the latest code for most of the platforms, with even more functionality added to boot.  

This progress has been achieved using the free versions of Quartus and strongly, I believe, underscores the continuing utility of the free Quartus versions.  I suggest that we have not reached nor exceeded the capabilities of the free versions to date.  If an issue exists it is most likely due to a lack of skill, on my part at least, in being able to properly apply the capabilities of the free versions to their fullest.  We can do even more with them than we have to date, I’m sure.  I fear that some of my unfortunate whining has been largely misinterpreted.  

If someone in the community wishes to explore the possibilites of more powerful tools to help with FPGA firmware development they should not feel restricted from doing so in the least.  I’d happily welcome such an effort in the community!  But on the other hand there is place in this project for continued free tool work too and that is my personal preference at this moment.  Our project is large enough to accommodate multiple approaches with regard to FPGA firmware development.  

Thanks for the thought-provoking comments.  It is good to periodically stop and think objectively about the possibilities for improving performance both in the hardware and in the development of the associated software and firmware in our projects.  

73, Joe K5SO