FPGA RTL code

[zephwest]

I wonder if you will also distribute the FPGA RTL code? Will it be open source?
I am considering the possibility of implementing additional HW accelerators. Are there any logic cells left in the Zynq?

[aolofsson]

All the FPGA RTL code is open source (GPL).

Files available here:
https://github.com/parallella/parallell ... common/hdl

We are a looking for contributors case anyone is interested.

Andreas

[timpart]

[aolofsson]

Tim,

This is certainly a sensitive point that cuts at the core of open source licensing. I think the spirit of the GPL/LGPL license would say that the FPGA bitstream is really one "program" and that even if we made it LGPL it wouldn't fly. On a personal level, I am a fervent supporter of copyleft. We gave away our design (that we worked very hard on) under an open source license and expect those who take that work and use it "to pay it forward". We understand that this may make the Parallella platform unattractive to some hardware developers but that's a price we are willing to live with.

Andreas

[timpart]

It's your intellectual property and you can do what you wish with it.

If a company has difficulty with GPL (they might also be using 3rd party HDL with an NDA), I suppose they could discuss the possibility with you of a separate license where they pay you money. At least they won't have any problems in trying out your IP before they get that far.

Tim

EDIT: I am referring to interfacing with the Epiphany chip in general, not just in Parallella.