( ESNUG 454 Item 11 ) ------------------------------------------- [04/28/06]
Subject: ( ESNUG 450 #4 ) Users unhappy FormalPro has been End-of-Lifed
> We use Mentor's FormalPro equivalency checker. It lets us provide an
> *independent* assessment of synthesis results; something that is mandated
> for many of our programs. The only way we can guarantee independent
> assessment is to use an EC tool from a different vendor than our synthesis
> vendor. For example, while we use both the Synopsys Design Compiler (DC)
> and Cadence RTL Compiler (RC) tools, we cannot use Synopsys Formality for
> DC results, nor Cadence Conformal for RC results. Using FormalPro for all
> designs is a more cost effective solution overall when considering tool
> cost, training, scripts, tool expertise, etc. It's also simply easier to
> learn one EC tool instead of two.
>
> - Brian Janes
> Rockwell Collins, Inc. Noblesville, IN
From: Alain Giraudat <alain.giraudat=user domain=fr.thalesgroup spot gone>
Hi John,
Regarding item 5, we share the same opinion concerning Mentor FormalPro.
- Alain Giraudat
Thales Systemes Aeroportes SA Elancourt Cedex, France
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From: Russell Petersen <russp=user domain=subasic.sciatl spot gone>
Hi, John,
We too use FormalPro and love it because even after 3 evaluations now over a
few years against Conformal Ultra and Formality, it continues to destroy the
competition. In other words, I continue to see it capable of solving things
that Conformal and Formality choke on and do it much faster. Hence, I'm very
interested in the tool continuing.
I, too, have heard these rumors about FormalPro being End-of-Lifed and so
far I don't believe them. I have talked with Mentor extensively about this
and they continue to assure us they have no plans to cut the product.
Everything supportwise and development wise seems to bear this out. Just
last year they added a good number of customers (can't remember the figure
they gave me but it was significant). Also, feature requests are being
honored and put into the tool (not small nitpicky requests either but new
significant functionality kinds of things). Hence, even though they might
not be as actively marketing the tool, they are still selling and developing
FormalPro.
In short, I understand the worries as we have had them ourselves in the past,
but this is far too good of a tool for Mentor to abandon and so far I don't
see too much to convince me they are. I also recommend anyone out there
using the Conformal or Formality tools to take a good look at FormalPro. I
do like the Cadence Conformal folks just fine as I'm friends with some of
them, but I still hold that Conformal can't quite hold a candle to FormalPro
in performance and solvability. We do very large 6 million instance plus
SOCs here, so I have thrown about the biggest test cases at these tools that
they could reasonably handle. Note: not the whole SOC in RTL, of course, as
that's way too big for any tool. :) So I feel I have a fair basis to
continue to say that FormalPro rocks.
- Russell Petersen
Scientific Atlanta Lawrenceville, GA
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From: Mike Santarini <michael.santarini=user domain=reedbusiness spot gone>
John, you're behind.
I fleshed this out months ago right after the original posting.
http://www.edn.com/article/CA6280352.html
Turns out there is no such thing as "end of life" at Mentor. They have what
amounts to a retirement home for tools. They have a group that keeps older
tools running and supported, but they don't tack on new features. They make
a killing on them because there is little or no overhead because maintenance
is really just maintenance and nothing more, while the maintenance fees are
still rolling in.
- Michael Santarini
EDN Magazine San Jose, CA
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