Re: [myhdl-list] Example of MyHDL for Python Developers Documentation

[Christopher L. <loz...@fr...>]

First thank you for the comments on my hardware module proposal.  I
learned a lot.  I always learn a lot from this group.  

On 5/16/12 6:58 AM, Oscar Diaz wrote:
> And following with the previous discussion, Christopher has proposed a
> particular abstraction through his Hardware Module Class. Although I
> think it's a correct proposal, maybe it's not suitable in other cases.
> Let me give you an example:

So first I will admit I am extreme.  There is always a spectrum between
the functional approaches, and the object-oriented approaches.  I
strongly lean one way.  The lesson from python is that to gain broad
market adoption, both approaches must be supported.  But there are
reasons why I am extreme.

One of my core beliefs is that software components should map directly
to hardware components.   It is just so much easier to understand.  Then
as the world changes, as the design evolves, the software component is
more likely to evolve easily.  So if you do not want to initially model
ports, that is fine.  But do still have a class that models your high
level hardware module.  Of course if you are working at even higher
levels, no worries.

Sure people can say this is just a software library.  Let us call it
OOHDL.   For Object-Oriented HDL.  But it is much more than that.  It is
a world view.   You get some benefit from reusing libraries.  You get a
lot more benefit from having a certain world view.   There are many
benefits from this world view, but the primary one is for new users.  
Imagine the sales pitch.

OOHDL is a library of objects for modeling, designing and simulating
digital designs.  Each class represents a real world hardware module
like clocks, multiplexers, memory, and other devices.   You use a
graphical tool to assemble your design from software components, or even
to design new components.  You can click into each hardware module to
see the hardware hierarchy. When you need to, you can even create new
hardware modules in python, optionally reusing existing hardware modules.  

By retaining the MyHDL functional approach, you greatly loose the
benefits of a pure OO approach, particularly the ability for new users
to understand, learn and use the system.   Let there be no doubt that I
had and still do have huge difficulty understanding MyHDL.  A class
library matching to hardware modules and signal types would have been so
much easier for me to understand, subclass and assemble. 

That would make this into a much more vibrant community.

Regards
Chris L.