gEDA-user: State of PLD device support

[Daniel Kelley <dkelley@gmp.san-jose.ca.us>]

I realize that the issue of using open source tools to support
programmable logic design and programming is an ongoing, unresolved
issue, having nibbled at the edges of the problem for longer than I'll
admit, so my question is not so much "where is the stuff?", but "what
are the barriers?".

I am familiar with the business arguments of why supporting FPGAs is
currently impossible with a fully open source tool set. I feel that
the FPGA situation is pretty well beyond hope, unless someone can come
up with a business case that makes sense.

But there is a handful of smaller devices (like the 22v10 type
devices) that appear to be more tractable, as the information to
program them is readily available.  However, open source tools (as
opposed to running PALASM on a DOS emulator) do not appear to be
available in an easily usable form.

So now the questions:

  Are you using these small devices, or interested in using these
  devices?

  Have I overlooked something, and there are open source tools you
  are using with these device? 

  Is using a free binary-only tool under a DOS or Windows emulator
  sufficient?

  Are there some "hidden" problems that winds up preventing open
  source tools from being effective in programming these devices?

Any thoughts?


d.k.