You're comparing apples and oranges, to an extent...plus have you seen how
much IP cores can cost for FPGAs?

With a PIC, you can buy a single unit AND get the functionality you need.
You don't have to drop $25,000 for a CPU core, $5000 for a async core, and
then have to worry about interfacing external DRAM. And try doing FPGA
development with the low-end software and hardware tools -- if you're
hardcore about FPGAs, you'll want to invest in more than the "web-based"
design tools and a $100 FPGA "prototype card".

I'm not saying that FPGAs aren't cool and interesting, but they're really
suited for mid- to high-volume applications still, or applications that
aren't too price sensitive.

You really *can* spend a few bucks on a PIC programmer, a couple of PICs
from the local electronics store, and download enough freeware to do a lot
of hardware projects...either for fun, or commercially.

Just my 2 cents.


-marc


On 24/5/03 15:01, "Mike Singer" <msinger@POLUOSTROV.NET> wrote:

> Actually "MSP-killer", "AVR-killer" etc.
>
> From Quote.com:
> ------------------------
> At the Embedded Systems Conference this week, Xilinx (Nasdaq: XLNX)
> announced the release of new advanced features for its industry-leading
> MicroBlaze(TM) 32-bit soft processor core including Hardware Divide,
> LocalLink, Instruction and Data caches, and a Barrel Shifter. Delivering
> 68 Dhrystone-MIPS at 85 MHz in the new Spartan-3(TM) FPGA, MicroBlaze
> provides customers with a high-performance, low-cost processor solution
> with the effective price of $1.40.
>
> In related news, Xilinx also announced its Embedded Development Kit
> (EDK) version 3.2 for designing SoC using Xilinx FPGAs. EDK(TM) version
> 3.2 innovates the programmable system domain by integrating embedded
> hard and soft-core processors, customizable IP, and FPGA logic into a
> single programmable platform. With the new version, designers can now
> efficiently implement embedded systems using Xilinx Virtex-II Pro(TM)
> FPGAs featuring hard embedded IBM PowerPC(TM) cores and Multi-Gigabit
> Transceivers and/or a soft processor system using MicroBlaze in
> Spartan-3 FPGAs.
>
> -----------------------
>
> By the way, Microsoft unveils $3 Windows CE runtime pricing.
>
> I wonder, if super-fast SOC (System On Chip) with flexible
> guts and Windows CE were priced as low as few bucks, who
> would buy PICs?
>
> Mike.
>
> P.S. Hey, folks, how do you think, should a newbie choose
> MicroBlaze instead of 18FXXXX?
>
> --
> http://www.piclist.com hint: The PICList is archived three different
> ways.  See http://www.piclist.com/#archives for details.
>


--------------------------------------------------
Marc Nicholas Geekythings Inc. C/416.543.4896
UNIX, Database, Security and Networking Consulting

--
http://www.piclist.com hint: The PICList is archived three different
ways.  See http://www.piclist.com/#archives for details.