FPGA VAX update

[Allison]

>
>Subject: Re: FPGA VAX update
>   From: woodelf <bfranchuk at jetnet.ab.ca>
>   Date: Sun, 23 Oct 2005 15:10:44 -0600
>     To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
>
>Michael Sokolov wrote:
>
>>Chuck Guzis <cclist at sydex.com> wrote:
>>
>>  
>>
>>>If PC-based emulators are fast enough, why bother with the IC version?
>>>    
>>>
>>
>>1. I don't want an emulator, I want The Real Thing (tm).
>>
>>2. A pee sea based emulator requires a pee sea.  I refuse to contaminate
>>my house with a pee sea.
>>  
>>
>FPGA software requires a pee sea sadly enough. I suspect a 8080 could do 
>PCB or CUSTOM
>IC design if you could use a programable  character set on a terminal. 
>When you think about it
>it is the hidden documentaion in closed hardware that is the problem. I 
>open source  FPGA
>could be done as a custom chip but getting around the hardware patents 
>is the problem..

An 8080 could not do it and graphics has little to do with it.

FPGA P&R is a really large array problem that eats memory and cpu.
The PC is a common choice as it's become fast enough and common 
as houseflies.  After PCs what s the next most common hardware?
A vendor of hardware (FPGAs) really only provides software so they
can sell the part, I doubt that software is a money maker for them.
So with that in minds if you not running a PC then likely the 
alternate hardware is from the small list:

VAX or Alpha running UNIX
AS400?
Something PowerPC based?
SUN?

What else is out there that's not wintel, fast enough and can address 
a large memory that runs a fairly current UNIX.  That also assumes 
the software that can P&R the FPGA is available as source.
 


Allison