FPGA for dummies

[amiga4ever]

if it wasn't made 20+ years ago, it's not a "real" classic Amiga. real, for many classic Amiga enthusiasts, is defined by more than logic gate responses on a microchip. it also involves knowing that the system you are using was physically present with you in the past. it's tangible nostalgia, something fpgas recreate very poorly. in that respect alone, fpgas certainly are a poor simulation/substitute for a real amiga.

[amiga4ever]

for a lot of people, they WOULD be able to tell the difference.

it's interesting to note:  on the Amiga and c64 demoscene, i can cite a few examples of new demos (created after fpga blueprints for these systems) which push REAL hardware to the limit yet run fine on real machines. yet, because they do not play nicely with documented hardware timings and such - the code breaks fpga "hardware" and software emulatrs.

it may not be strictly "correct" terminology to call recreations of chips on fpgas an emulation, but that is their effective result.

i could program a fairly decent rule based inference system to replace the knowledge response of my local GP. but i wouldn't like to bank on it to diagnose anything out-of-the-ordinary and uncommon. not before reflashing/programming it with updated knowledge from a REAL doctor.

superficial familiar response != real