( ESNUG 414 Item 8 ) -------------------------------------------- [06/18/03]

Subject: Two Engineers Bark About The Free Forte On-Line SystemC Tutorial
From: Bill Dittenhofer <bill_dittenhofer=user  company=starkey spot calm>

Hey John,

Forte has a free website where you can learn SystemC.  The URL for it is at
http://LearnSystemC.ForteDS.com on their site.  This SystemC stuff is cool.
We use it to do high level DSP algorithmic modeling.  We then refine it to
be bit-accurate using SystemC classes.  We then make it cycle accurate by
building RTL-like wrappers around it.  We can then use these as reference
models for our verification efforts, once again using the SCV (verification
library) supplied to SystemC.

We are investigating using Kahn modeling for our next effort.  SystemC
supports this with their SC-FIFO.  SystemC is good stuff.  Free training is
good stuff, too.

    - Bill Dittenhofer
      Starkey Laboratories                       Eden Prairie, MN

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From: Homero Guimaraes <Homero.Guimaraes=user  company=motorola spot calm>

Hello John,

I work with Motorola in the mixed-signal/RF systems design area.

I tried Forte' SystemC intro after I saw and article in EEtimes and I think
that albeit it is a basic introduction, it was very useful to someone like
me that is being exposed to the System-C language for the first time.

    - Homero Guimaraes
      Motorola Wireless                          Libertyville, IL