The AFIT VHDL environment

An overview is presented of the research into a UNIX-based very high-speed integrated circuit hardware description language (VHDL) toolset at the Air Force Institute of Technology. The toolset supports the new IEEE Standard VHDL (IEEE Std 1076-1987), utilizes standard UNIX utilities, and consists of an analyzer and simulator. A graphical front-end has been designed to run on personal computers. Graphical VHDL User Interface (GVUI) appears to its users as a typical schematic editor. However, logic devices are not labeled with device and pin numbers, but rather with entity names and port labels. This simple labeling transformation repetitively exposes the engineer who is unfamiliar with VHDL to conventional and familiar layout symbology encompassing VHDL terminology and concepts. The GVUI maps what is new-VHDL-to what is already known-schematic layout