Re: [oc] wishlist/todolist

["Damjan Lampret" <lampret@opencores.org>]

----- Original Message -----
From: <jdalton@opencores.org>
To: <cores@opencores.org>
Sent: Wednesday, January 02, 2002 1:46 AM
Subject: Re: [oc] wishlist/todolist


>
> 1) Would it be possible to set up the wishlist as a wiki?
> This would allow others to develop the original author's
> idea further.  It would also allow the author to update
> the web page as their idea develops in their own mind.

What is a wiki?

You mean that an entry can be edited (once it is already in wishlist)?
This would certainly be nice, I'll discuss it with Miha.

>
> 2) Taking it one step further, would it be possible for
> opencores to provide a full blown collaborative
> design environment?  I know this is ambitious,
> and will not happen overnight, but it could be
> a direction to head in.  It also requires the developer
> to have a full time connection to the net, to be trully useful.
>
> Imagine... Someone posts an entry in the wishlist.
> Another fleshes out the idea.  Someone else decides
> to write a snippet of code.  Eventually the 'project'
> produces something useful, even though no single person
> made a conscious effort to run a 'project'.

Do you have concrete ideas what resources to develop to link ideas and
projects?

What I have in mind is a backend environment with EDA tools where opencores
web serves as a frontend. For start I think we could start with a web based
HDL editor and a HDL simulator. Basically it would look something like this:
1) login to opencores
2) start a project
3) write some HDL
4) run simulation and log off
5) come back later (let say 2 hours later) and analyze simulation results

Of course for running simulations current dual PIII won't be enough. We'll
probably need a small cluster farm. ;-)

Eventually we might even end up with a synthesis and an array of FPGA
boards. My initial idea was to use FPGA boards for debugging but I think
that might not work well in practice. One thing I see synthesis software and
FPGAs good for:
1) you get some feedback about size and speed of your core
2) you can verify that simulation and implementation work the same (probably
there are better ways to check this)
3) most important - you can run some 100x more test cases than in simulation
(does anyone know better use for an FPGA array than this ?!)
I'd put an FPGA array online mostly because of point 3.

I also envision we will have a linter that will work directly with the CVS.
When somebody will commit HDL code to the CVS, it will automatically be
analyzed by a linter and report will be emailed to the developer.
In similar manner I see simulation environment as a way how to run regular
regression test of cores in the CVS. Imagine that all designated cores get
checked out from the CVS every time a commit is made to the CVS and a
regression test is being run. This would increase integrity of the cores a
lot.
You can see something like this in case of openrisc gnu toolchain -
http://www.opencores.org/cores/or1k-new/ats/. Right now OR1K ATS only tests
OR1K gnu toolchain.

BTW I think simulation environment and also linter could be very real ideas
and implemented rather soon.

>
> 3) At what point does something stop being a 'wish'
> and become a 'project'.  Perhaps it is worth putting
> some thought into a migration path from 'wish'
> to 'project' and the grey area between?

Definitely. So any concrete ideas?

>
> By the way, is there a bug in the mail archive software?
> The core archive for January 2002 already has 261 messages listed.

Probably. Miha?

regards,
Damjan


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