[Coco] Any news on the so called CoCo4 or NextCoCo projectthatBjork was heading?

[jdaggett at gate.net]

On 21 Oct 2010 at 12:18, Mark Marlette wrote:

> There could be a point made that a FPGA device is emulated(configurable)
> hardware..... ???? :)

I would not call an FPGA emulated hardware. I can see where one might think that. Instead it 
is actual hardware that is configurable to one's need by software. 

Within the fabric of the CLBs of FPGAs are LUTs. FFs, MUXs and other logic. What the HDL 
does is describe how these components are to be wired. A 4 input LUT can be configured to 
be a 4 input and gate, or gate, or just about any gate you want. Combining several LUTs and 
you get evenmore complex logic circuitry. 


FPGAs are indeed logic that is not so different from the 6800 or the 6809 or the 6811 
processors. The software is nothing more than tools to help you wire up the building blocks of 
the any circuitry you wish. If one wwere to look at the schematic of the 6800 processor you 
would see gates. Lots of gates. Registers and lots of them. Now they may very well be 
constructed differently than the fabric of an FPGA, they are still gates and flip flops. Same 
elelments of an FPGA. 

just my thoughts

james