FPGA for dummies

[ferrellsl]

@billt

You're throwing pearls before swine.  Some obstinate folks on here just aren't going to believe you no matter what facts you present to them.  Just add them to your list of ignorant, argumentative, SOBs and move on.

[ferrellsl]

thread:
So lets build a x86pc core for the Replay, then run UAE on it. What's that... simulation or emulation. ;-)

That's a waste of time and money.  It defeats the entire purpose of the Replay board which is to inexpensively recreate in hardware the classic Amigas that are so hard to come by anymore these days.

[ferrellsl]

That is not the entire purpose of the Replay board.

As far as classic Amigas are concerned, it is.  

And I'm well aware of the other systems that the Replay board is designed to replace, such as Ataris and various arcade boards thank you very much.

[ferrellsl]

Didya miss the smiley at the end of that comment? I was mocking the more pedantic folk in this thread... What do do when faced with a synthesized PC running an emulated computer.  OK, maybe not the funniest gag... but that's my emulated sense of humor. :-)

Sorry.  Missed your smiley earlier.  Humor noted :-)

I do want to add that I'm very impressed with billt's patience here.  He's almost written a dissertation on FPGAs here.  Very unimpressed by those who insist on arguing with him.

[ferrellsl]

As far as the guy who designed it, Id be surprised if Mikej comes over and tells us that, ues, his primary intention for doing the board was so he could make a Classic Amiga, and that anything else people use it for is just bonus. I'm sure he's happy that so many of us Amigans are excited about his product, but I can't imagine this was the purpose for making it.

I meant to say that FPGAs in general are "it" as far as recreating classic Amigas are concerned.  It isn't like anyone will start manufacturing classic systems or parts for them again.  So FPGA based systems such as the Minimig, Replay and Natami are the only alternatives out there for people who can't get their hands on classic systems.

I know that Mike's Replay board didn't originally start out as a classic Amiga recreation project, but that's the beauty of FPGAs.  They're versatile enough to recreate just about any system that you can define in VHDL.

[ferrellsl]

Holy crap, all my AMD are emulating Intel

He (psxphill) just doesn't get it.  He's starting to sound like a broken record or a sick parrot on a pirate's shoulder sqwauking, "Braaak, FPGAs are simulations, FPGAs are simulations."

Just because my next door neighbor has the same floor plan as my home, doesn't make MY home a simulation in ANY respect.....same can be said for FPGAs or CPUs, etc......What the heck would it be simulating?  Simulating implies that something about it wouldn't be real and I can assure you that my house is just as real as my neighbor's house.  Both homes were built using the same plans and for the same purpose but by different contractors.  Same can be said for FPGA based solutions.  It isn't simulating anything.  It's preforming the same purpose and function as the original.  It's just being designed and built by someone other than the original designer.  No more, no less.  It doesn't matter if those plans were reverse engineered or if the architect had access to the original architects specifications.  Both homes (and computers) are real and not simulating ANYTHING.  An FPGA-based Amiga is just as real as an original classic Amiga.

[ferrellsl]

Emulation/simulation doesn't imply that it isn't real, after all, everything that exists is real.

Uhh, that was my point.  No need to restate the obvious.  So if it's real, it is not a simulation.

Of course, but it's not an Amiga, it's an Amiga replica. Two different things (look at the classic sports car world, the same happens there).

No kidding Sherlock.  So what are you trying to say? That we should resurrect Commodore Inc. along with it's dead executives before we can have classic re-makes?  That's absurd.  The only thing that is going to satisfy you and psxphill would be to find a long-lost hidden cache of classic Amigas (or Amiga components) in some forgotten bomb shelter.  News flash, Commodore isn't coming back, nor is the Amiga.  Replicas are as good as it will ever get, so get over it.

More than one FPGA expert in this forum has set you and psxphill straight, but you two insist on spreading dis-information and continue to argue.  Just let it go.....please!