> 6.) If you're into ANSI design, CebaTech is showing their C2R Compiler,
>     which takes untimed ANSI C and outputs Verilog RTL.  "Supports
>     control and data path equally well plus floating point libraries."
>     (booth 760)  Ask for Chad Spackman.  Freebie: mints on keychains
>
>     If you're into SystemC design, Forte Cynthesizer v3.4 adds support
>     for Power Compiler for "best-in-class area, performance, and now
>     power results" and "management of ECOs by graphically mapping RTL
>     back to the original SystemC design" and inter-block interfaces.
>     (booth 1645)  Ask for Brett Cline.  Freebie: caricatures
>
>     If you're into C++ design, Mentor is barking about their Catapult C
>     synth & Vista ESL tools.  What's new this year?  They said nothing.
>     (booth 2301)  Ask for Shawn McCloud.  Freebie: iPod earbuds
>
>     If you want to piss off all the C people, check out Bluespec with
>     its proprietary "general purpose high-level synthesis & simulation
>     for modeling, verification and implementation".  Transactional.
>     (booth 2367)  Ask for Steve Allen.  Freebie: electronic Sudoku
>
>         - from http://www.deepchip.com/gadfly/gad060608.html


From: George Harper <gharper=user domain=bluespec not calm>

Hi, John,

Thank you for the mention in your Cheesy list today -- as no good deed goes
unpunished, I wanted to point out one thing.

By only highlighting Bluespec's solution as proprietary, you seem to be
implying that the ANSI C-to-RTL and SystemC-to-RTL solutions are not.
While I'm sure that's the perception that these solutions would want you to
have by wrapping themselves with words like ANSI, C/C++ and SystemC, they
are indeed proprietary.  If you develop IP for any one of these vendors,
you cannot move it to another without tremendous rework.  Therefore, any
claim by them of being non-proprietary is completely unfounded.

John - you're not one to let marketing get a free pass without a lot of
scrutiny.  By singling us out I believe you are leaving the impression
that you are doing just that.

If I were you, here are the top 5 questions I'd ask these other vendors
about their solutions:

  1. Can you name a single other vendor that can synthesize designs
     that have been developed in conjunction with your tools?  (That
     is, without rewriting the code and the constraints file?)

  2. Do you adhere to an industry standard style guide for the way your
     C must be structured and an industry standard synthesizable subset
     specification or are they proprietary?  (That is, can you synthesize
     any and all SystemC/C and/or C++ code with your tools?  Or, do you
     have to adhere to a style guide (that is, write your code in a
     particular stylized way) and a synthesizable subset specification
     (that is, only use a prescribed subset of the language)?)

  3. Do you require a constraints file or similar to accompany designs you
     synthesize?  If so, is that proprietary?

  4. As you inevitably must interpret how your SystemC/C/C++ interfaces
     behave and work in RTL, is this proprietary?

  5. Cycle-by-cycle simulation behavior is important for verification.
     How do you guarantee that the design that you simulate will behave
     the same in a system as any other vendor's solution?

Are you going to give these vendors a free pass, John?  Forte, Ceba, and
Mentor are just as proprietary as we are!

    - George Harper
      Bluespec, Inc.                             Waltham, MA