VHDL Designer's Reference

Too vast, too complex, too grand for description. John Wesley Powell, 1870 (discovering the Grand Canyon). VHDL is a big world. A beginner can be easily disappointed by the generality of this language. This generality is explained by the large number of domains covered, from specifications to logical simulation or synthesis. To the very beginner, VHDL appears as a "kit." He is quickly aware that his problem may be solved with VHDL, but does not know how. He does not even know how to start. In this state of mind, all the constraints that can be set to his modeling job, by using a subset of the language or a given design methodology, may be seen as a life preserver. The success of the introduction of VHDL in a company depends on solutions to many questions that should be answered months before the first line of code is written: Why choose VHDL? Which VHDL tools should be used?.