Open Source VHDL ?

[OSS542]

Can anyone recommend some good open source VHDL software ?

[mboehmer_e3b]

Not open source, but there are three acceptable free solutions:

- Xilinx Webpack: nice GUI, but only XST as VHDL compiler.
Easy to operate, long to download, but includes a nice simulator and can be handled also by beginners

- Lattice software: for more experienced users, Synplify (Pro) included, also good simulator.

- Altera software: I used it just in the old version now, and only for CPLDs, so I can't say much on this solution.

I use both regularily, and with Xilinx being in this business for longer time I must say that Lattice is also doing already a good job for the short time they offer FPGAs now.

I prefer for political reasons Lattice, if possible. They simply have the more human contact, the better support and tend to listen to small customers with much more care than competitors.

Michael

[alexh]

If you were looking for some open source VHDL code for reference:

http://www.opencores.org

[countzero]

aren't you limited by your choice of chip for the software ? Can you synthesize something for cyclone with the webpack ? or for spartan with the altera software ? I don't think it's possible.

[billt]

"open source VHDL software" might refer to more than just the synthesis tool for a particular FPGA chip. What about simulation? Wave viewers? Linters? Logic Equivalency Check? (compare synthesized netlist to RTL source code to make sure it truely is the "same thing") Scan test insertion?

OK, there's a lot that may be overkill for an Amiga FPGA experimenter, and there may not be open-source equivalents for a lot of these things. But at least simulation may be interesting to help track down bugs.

http://ghdl.free.fr/