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VUG Newsletter (Vol II, No 2) (Jul 89)
VHDL Users' Group Newsletter
127 Beaumont Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94118
31 July 1989 Vol II, No. 2
Fall General Meeting
Enclosed is the Invitation and Preliminary Agenda for the second
Fall General Meeting. Excitement is already building for the
meeting right on the tails of the recently completed Spring meeting
in Washington. The Fall meeting will reflect the infusion of new
ideas by an enlarged steering committee and user base. The time
and area devoted to vendor demonstrations will be expanded from
last years meeting. Please register early as the hotel and
tutorials are expected to sell out!
Newsletter
The VHDL Users' Group newsletter project has received a fresh
start. Rachael Rusting and Fred Hinchliffe have agreed to become
Co-Editors on a new and expanded format. We encourage everyone to
submit news worthy items that are of interest to the VHDL
community.
Please submit all ideas, comments, and articles for publication to
Rachael or Fred directly. Articles submitted to the VHDL Users'
Group address will be forwarded to the editors also. They can be
reached at:
Rachael Rusting Fred Hinchliffe
Intermetrics, Inc. CLSI
733 Concord Avenue 51 Monroe Street, Suite 606
Cambridge, MA 01238 Rockville, MD 20850
(617) 661-1840 (301) 424-9445
New Books
There were several new books released just in time for the Spring
1989 VHDL Users' Group meeting in Washington. They all offer
additional insights into views of using VHDL. Contact Kluwer
Academic Publishers, () or Prentice Hall, () for further details.
We look forward to submissions of book reviews for publication in
the newsletter. Make it easier for the next person by sharing your
conclusions, thoughts, and experiences.
Bibliography
Many people have been asking for a bibliography update of the one
submitted by John Hines in the Fall 1988 meeting notebook. Has
anyone been scouring the trade journals and book lists for
interesting sources of information? If you have a rough list,
submit it for publication to the newsletter. We will make sure it
is distributed in time for the Fall 1989 meeting.
Validation Efforts
There are two efforts underway to develop VHDL analyzer and
simulator validation suites. Intermetrics, under government
funding, and VPI, under industry funding, have both made progress.
There efforts are loosely coordinated and it is expected the
results of both will be picked up by the NIST or a similar
organization by next year. Those interested in assisting in the
development and therefore getting preliminary releases should
contact Victor Berman, Intermetrics, (301) 657-3775 or Dr. James
Armstrong, VPI, (703) 961-4723.
There are additional efforts underway to develop model validation
methods. This would provide a standard mechanism to determine that
a VHDL model meets minimum criteria of usefulness and
interoperability. There is a strong interest within the U.S.
Defense Logistics Agency and industry for such a standard. For
updates, watch for items in future newsletters. Or contact John
Wilner, Hughes Aircraft, (714) 670-4873 or Scott Calhoun, ITD,
(601) 325-2240 directly.
CALS Picks UP VHDL
It was verified at the Spring 1989 Users' Group meeting that VHDL
will become part of the CALS standards currently under development
within the Defense Production and Logistics Agency. VHDL, along
with EDIF, IPC, and IGES are currently called out in the recently
revised MIL-STD-1840, version B. Concurrently, the PDES Electrical
Subcommittee, an industry group defining the CALS standards, has
begin to show interest in VHDL. There is a commitment by both the
VHDL and PDES communities to expand cooperation. Those interested
in being a part of this new effort are encouraged to contact Larry
O'Connell, (505) 844-1061.
VASG Resolution Report
The VASG, the group providing maintenance and clarification to the
VHDL Language Reference Manual Standard by the IEEE, is expected to
release their current results in time for the Fall 1989 VHDL Users'
Group Meeting. Consideration is being given to provide as wide a
distribution as possible of the document. Look for further
information in future newsletters. It is important to note that
the document represents a consensus by the attendees at the Working
Group committees. Anyone with an interest can attend the meetings
or comment on the resolutions. Only with this wider, industry
support can the resolutions become part of the actual standard
practice.
Call for Logo
The VHDL Users' Group and Community need a recognizable logo to
use. We are currently looking for submissions of ideas from
aspiring designers. The logo should serve to promote the language
standard for all that it represents. For an idea at a good,
recognizable logo look at any EDIF documentation. The author of
the selected entry will be acknowledged at the following VHDL
Users' Group meeting and in the newsletter.
Call for Benchmarks
There is a desire to have a few system, board, and ASIC designs for
use as benchmarks. The benchmarks are desired to show the
interoperability of VHDL based tools and systems rather than
simulator performance. In addition, they should serve to highlight
what can be represented in VHDL. The examples will allow users of
other standards to see where overlap occurs. Anyone wishing to
submit a benchmark should contact Randy Harr at (415) 387-8262 or
at the VHDL Users' Group address above.
VHDL Users' Group Becomes an Entity
At the recent Steering Committee meeting of the VHDL Users' Group,
it was decided to become a part of the Computer Society of the IEEE
for a trial period of one year. The reasons are to increase the
liability and indemnification coverage of the group in running its
activities. The IEEE is a large and stable organization which is
looking to support the standards community more fully. The
steering committee is committed to guarantee that the group
maintain independence for its members so that anyone with an
interest in VHDL, no matter what their affiliation, will be welcome
members.
Calendar of Events
24 Jul 1989 VHDL Design Exchange Group Meeting
@ Gateway Design Automation, Boston, MA
Ghulam Nurie (415) 960-6348
14-16 Aug 1989 VHDL Methods Workshop
@ University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Ron Williams (804) 924-7960
22-24 Aug 1989 CAD Framework Initiative (CFI)
@ ?, Boston, MA
M.P. Associates (303) 503-4562
29-31 Aug 1989 International Test Conference (ITC)
@ Sheraton, Washington, D.C.
Contact (201) 895-5260
11-14 Sep 1989 EDIF World (USA EDIF Users' Group meeting)
@ ?, San Jose, Ca
?-? Oct 1989 IGES/PDES Industry Meeting
@ ?, Albuquerque, NM
Larry O'Connell (505) 844-1061
22-25 Oct 1989 VHDL Users' Group General Meeting
@ Sheraton @ Redondo Beach, CA
Conference Management Services (415) 329-0510
26-27 Oct 1989 IEEE Design Automation Standards Subcommittee (DASS)
@ Sheraton @ Redondo Beach, CA
Larry Saunders (507) 253-2509
6-8 Nov 1989 IEEE International Conference on Computer Aided
Design (ICCAD)
@ Santa Clara Convention Center, Santa Clara, CA
MP Associates (303) 503-4562
7-9 Nov 1989 Government Microelectronics Conference (GOMAC)
@ Hyatt Orlando, Orlando, FL
C. Edward Holland (919) 541-9400
March 1990 Spring VHDL Users' Group Meeting
@ ?, Boston, MA
Fred Hinchliffe (301) 424-9445
12-15 Mar 90 European Design Automation Conference (EDAC)
@ Hospitality Inn Convention Center, Glasgow
Jochen Jess 44-31-557-2478
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