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Hardware description languages
Pubfications
115
Coelho managed to circumvent the danger of ending up with an indigestable BNF explanation. Rather they use ADLIB as an example to scrutinously discuss the concepts involved in multi-level simulation. As such the title is very well chosen. The book is excellent reading material for everybody involved in hardware description development.
Serial-Data Computation, by Stewart G. Smith and Peter B. Denyer, from: Kluwer Academic Publishers, Boston (MA, USA), 1987. For whoever has enjoyed the book on FIRST, here is SECOND. Or rather Serial-Data Computation discusses the shortcoming of FIRST and why there is a need for SECOND. It put the question marks where they are required and surveys ways to eliminate the shortcomings of the bit-serial approach. First the pro's and con's of the bit-serial approach are put into and the concept of FIRST is brought back into memory. Then the basic theory of bit-serial computation is given. Then the case of 2-complement multiplication is treated. Then an overview is given of area-saving techniques such as serial-parallel arithmetic. Ensuing throughput enhancements such as radix-n arithmetic are scanned. Finally an overview of the SECOND system for bit-serial digital filter design is given. After the book on FIRST there was evidently a need for a sequel. In Serial-Data Computation the case for serial computation is much better worded and documented, though still not convincing. The parts on arithmetic indicate the need for more research in this area. The blurred pictures of the chip microphotographs leave the impression, that the book was put together in haste. Overall I liked the FIRST book better.
Hardware Description Languages, by R.W. Hartenstein (ed.), from: Elsevier Science Publishers, P.O. Box 1991, 1000 BZ Amsterdam (The Netherlands). In the series Advances in CAD for VLSI", Hartenstein has edited volume 7 on Hardware Description Languages. The object of the book is to give a systematic representation of the discipline in Hardware Description Language development and its imcomplications. It is meant to serve as a navigation aid in Babylonian World having produced hundreds of languages. Hartenstein took the trouble to provide for a thorough classification of Hardware Description Languages and an embedding within the world of CAD to start the book. Then, in the third chapter, 5 contributions provide a view on such diverse application-oriented specializations as data-path, controlpath, i/o-protocol, graphic and simulation descriptions. Ensuing another 6 contributions discuss applications in conceptual design, the ALGIC system, testpattern generation, hardware verification, algorithmic design support and fault simulation. In subse-
116
Publications
quent chapters attention is given to multi-level design support and its implementation and to standardization efforts such as CONLAN and EDIF. By looking at the list of authors one is enclined to think that the book is a direct result of the CVT project. However in 495 pages apparently much more is involved. Hartenstein and his co-authors make a strong point of the fact, that for a very long time HDL was an academic subject, wherein every Ph.D. student devoted 4 years to come up with yet another Hardware Description Language never to be used again. But the research area has grown mature and Hartenstein shows that a systematic treatment has become possible. The book covers most of what is to be known, drawing largely on the K A R L / A B L for illustration. The introductory parts are very well suited for educational purposes, while the remainder provides the more advanced reading material.
115
Coelho managed to circumvent the danger of ending up with an indigestable BNF explanation. Rather they use ADLIB as an example to scrutinously discuss the concepts involved in multi-level simulation. As such the title is very well chosen. The book is excellent reading material for everybody involved in hardware description development.
Serial-Data Computation, by Stewart G. Smith and Peter B. Denyer, from: Kluwer Academic Publishers, Boston (MA, USA), 1987. For whoever has enjoyed the book on FIRST, here is SECOND. Or rather Serial-Data Computation discusses the shortcoming of FIRST and why there is a need for SECOND. It put the question marks where they are required and surveys ways to eliminate the shortcomings of the bit-serial approach. First the pro's and con's of the bit-serial approach are put into and the concept of FIRST is brought back into memory. Then the basic theory of bit-serial computation is given. Then the case of 2-complement multiplication is treated. Then an overview is given of area-saving techniques such as serial-parallel arithmetic. Ensuing throughput enhancements such as radix-n arithmetic are scanned. Finally an overview of the SECOND system for bit-serial digital filter design is given. After the book on FIRST there was evidently a need for a sequel. In Serial-Data Computation the case for serial computation is much better worded and documented, though still not convincing. The parts on arithmetic indicate the need for more research in this area. The blurred pictures of the chip microphotographs leave the impression, that the book was put together in haste. Overall I liked the FIRST book better.
Hardware Description Languages, by R.W. Hartenstein (ed.), from: Elsevier Science Publishers, P.O. Box 1991, 1000 BZ Amsterdam (The Netherlands). In the series Advances in CAD for VLSI", Hartenstein has edited volume 7 on Hardware Description Languages. The object of the book is to give a systematic representation of the discipline in Hardware Description Language development and its imcomplications. It is meant to serve as a navigation aid in Babylonian World having produced hundreds of languages. Hartenstein took the trouble to provide for a thorough classification of Hardware Description Languages and an embedding within the world of CAD to start the book. Then, in the third chapter, 5 contributions provide a view on such diverse application-oriented specializations as data-path, controlpath, i/o-protocol, graphic and simulation descriptions. Ensuing another 6 contributions discuss applications in conceptual design, the ALGIC system, testpattern generation, hardware verification, algorithmic design support and fault simulation. In subse-
116
Publications
quent chapters attention is given to multi-level design support and its implementation and to standardization efforts such as CONLAN and EDIF. By looking at the list of authors one is enclined to think that the book is a direct result of the CVT project. However in 495 pages apparently much more is involved. Hartenstein and his co-authors make a strong point of the fact, that for a very long time HDL was an academic subject, wherein every Ph.D. student devoted 4 years to come up with yet another Hardware Description Language never to be used again. But the research area has grown mature and Hartenstein shows that a systematic treatment has become possible. The book covers most of what is to be known, drawing largely on the K A R L / A B L for illustration. The introductory parts are very well suited for educational purposes, while the remainder provides the more advanced reading material.