Prev: Xilinx ISim and FSM states names
Next: How to inspect values in a Xilinx core FIFO with Modelsim?
From: Colin Paul Gloster on 21 Oct 2009 06:50
On Tue, 20 Oct 2009, Rickman asked:

|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|"On Oct 20, 9:47 am, Colin Paul Gloster <Colin_Paul_Glos...(a)ACM.org> |
|wrote: |
|> On Sun, 18 Oct 2009, Rickman wrote: |
|> |
|> |---------------------------------------------------------------------||
|> |"[..]                                                                ||
|> |[..]  My copy of ispLever from Lattice will                          ||
|> |not run compile or simulate because neither of these tools will run  ||
|> |due to the license expiring.  [..]                                   ||
|> |                                                                     ||
|> |[..]                                                                 ||
|> |                                                                     ||
|> |So now I am trying to use the Xilinx Webpack to allow me to continue ||
|> |working until I can get a new license file, but it won't run either."||
|> |---------------------------------------------------------------------||
|> |
|> Xilinx Webpack used to be licensed such that it was forbidden to use |
|> it for Lattice FPGAs. I do not recall that prohibition being removed. |
| |
|How is this about Lattice FPGAs? I'm trying to compile VHDL code and |
|simulate it. |
| |
|Rick" |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Hello again,

Perhaps you are not targeting Lattice silicon, but I thought you were. From
WWW.Xilinx.com/ise/license/license_agreement.htm
:
"[..]

4. Restrictions.

(a) Special Use Restrictions. No right is granted hereunder to
use the Software [..]
to [..] develop designs for non-Xilinx Devices; however,
Licensee may port ASIC designs to Xilinx Devices for the purpose
of prototyping and verification. [..]

[..]"

I do not know why an employee of Xilinx did not seem to bother to
mention this in this thread.

Yours sincerely,
Colin Paul
From: rickman on 21 Oct 2009 10:28
On Oct 21, 6:50 am, Colin Paul Gloster <Colin_Paul_Glos...(a)ACM.org>
wrote:
> On Tue, 20 Oct 2009, Rickman asked:
>
> |-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
> |"On Oct 20, 9:47 am, Colin Paul Gloster <Colin_Paul_Glos...(a)ACM.org>     |
> |wrote:                                                                   |
> |> On Sun, 18 Oct 2009, Rickman wrote:                                    |
> |>                                                                        |
> |> |---------------------------------------------------------------------||
> |> |"[..]                                                                ||
> |> |[..]  My copy of ispLever from Lattice will                          ||
> |> |not run compile or simulate because neither of these tools will run  ||
> |> |due to the license expiring.  [..]                                   ||
> |> |                                                                     ||
> |> |[..]                                                                 ||
> |> |                                                                     ||
> |> |So now I am trying to use the Xilinx Webpack to allow me to continue ||
> |> |working until I can get a new license file, but it won't run either."||
> |> |---------------------------------------------------------------------||
> |>                                                                        |
> |> Xilinx Webpack used to be licensed such that it was forbidden to use   |
> |> it for Lattice FPGAs. I do not recall that prohibition being removed.  |
> |                                                                         |
> |How is this about Lattice FPGAs?  I'm trying to compile VHDL code and    |
> |simulate it.                                                             |
> |                                                                         |
> |Rick"                                                                    |
> |-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
>
> Hello again,
>
> Perhaps you are not targeting Lattice silicon, but I thought you were. From
> WWW.Xilinx.com/ise/license/license_agreement.htm
> :
> "[..]
>
> 4.             Restrictions.
>
>     (a) Special Use Restrictions.  No right is granted hereunder to
>     use the Software [..]
>     to [..] develop designs for non-Xilinx Devices; however,
>     Licensee may port ASIC designs to Xilinx Devices for the purpose
>     of prototyping and verification. [..]
>
> [..]"
>
> I do not know why an employee of Xilinx did not seem to bother to
> mention this in this thread.
>
> Yours sincerely,
> Colin Paul

I guess their is a fine distinction to how you might interpret that.
I always try to write my code to be portable between different
manufacturers. Before I ship any product I run the code through all
of the tools at my disposal since each one will find some different
usage that is questionable even if it works. Also, I prefer to have
code that is easily ported across manufacturer's product lines so that
I can easily switch to different brands depending on circumstances.
In this case, I wonder if they would consider compiling with their
tools to be a violation of this part of the license.

Rick
From: glen herrmannsfeldt on 21 Oct 2009 12:20
rickman <gnuarm(a)gmail.com> wrote:
(snip on licensing for different vendors)

> I guess their is a fine distinction to how you might interpret that.
> I always try to write my code to be portable between different
> manufacturers. Before I ship any product I run the code through all
> of the tools at my disposal since each one will find some different
> usage that is questionable even if it works. Also, I prefer to have
> code that is easily ported across manufacturer's product lines so that
> I can easily switch to different brands depending on circumstances.
> In this case, I wonder if they would consider compiling with their
> tools to be a violation of this part of the license.

I agree. The one that comes up more often is specific IP generated
for specific devices. If, for example, you used Xilinx FIFO
generator, the result might be licensed only for Xilinx FPGAs.

For portable code, you should be able to simulate on different
simulators, while deciding which device you want to target.
(Even if you already have PC boards made, you could still change
your mind.)

-- glen

First  |  Prev  | 
Pages: 1 2
Prev: Xilinx ISim and FSM states names
Next: How to inspect values in a Xilinx core FIFO with Modelsim?