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Anyone Using JHDL for Programmable Logic?
gte910h asks: "I
am an embedded developer who is learning how to program programmable
logic devices (CPLD's and FPGA's). I have looked at VHDL and other
Hardware Description Languages, but they seem so obtuse compared to C
or Java. Has anyone tried any of the tools based off of general
purpose programming languages, like JHDL.
Do they work as well as VHDL and other HDL's? These would make things
this type of development acessable to more people if they work well
enough." Are packages similar to JHDL available for other
languages?
It's cold and it hurts and stuff...
Ask Matt
Q: I bought 200 shares of VA Software at $2.96 a share. Are they going to come back?
Matt's answer
Matt Krantz
Unless you have a specific reason to believe in VA Software, you're probably better off betting on another stock. The company, formerly known as VA Linux, has fallen upon tough times and hasn't demonstrated it has what it takes to survive.
You might think you're playing it safe, because you scooped up the shares for less than what they used to trade for. After all, at $2.96, you bought the shares for more than a 99% discount from where they were trading at just a year ago. But the company and especially the stock market were both in very different positions -- so perhaps you're not getting the steal it would seem.
There are serious problems facing the company in several areas:
Lack of mission. Back when VA Software dazzled Wall Street and saw its shares soar to nearly $250 each, it was a very different company with very different prospects. In fact, it had a different name: VA Linux. Back then, the company was supposed to knock Sun Microsystems and Dell on their backs with a low-cost computer server powered by the freebie operating system called Linux. If you can remember, Linux was the operating system that was supposed to revolutionize computing.
Fast forward to 2002. Guess what? Linux has been mildly successful in the marketplace, but a complete bust for investors and for companies that sell it. It was such a bust that VA Linux sold the Linux hardware business in 2001 and changed itself into a software company.
Now, the company's fortunes are tied to its SourceForge software development tools. It's basically software that helps programmers write software. Such a radical shift in business model won't be a smooth ride for investors. Not only does VA Software lack any successful track record selling products, but it's also new to the highly competitive market for software tools.
Nosedive of revenue. All the problems explained in point #1 above really show up here -- revenue. Consider that VA Software's top line in the quarter ended in October was just $5.6 million, down a staggering 90% from the year-ago numbers.
Certainly, a decline in revenue isn't the end of the world if the company is exiting less-profitable businesses. But just the opposite seems to be the case, since VA Software's losses continue to balloon even as revenue evaporates. During that same October-ending quarter, VA Software delivered a $54.9 million net loss to shareholders, which was slightly larger than its $51.3 million net loss during the year-ago period. Not good.
Cash crunch. Although not a dot-com, VA Linux symbolized the excesses of the dot-com era. The money-losing, cash-burning company watched its shares soar only to be knocked down to nearly nothing after investors came to their senses.
Things haven't really improved in this area, either. The company's $70.7 million cash balance has been steadily dropping due to its massive losses. During the October quarter alone, the company burned more than $12 million of cash. At that rate, VA Software will run out of cash in less than six quarters from the end of October.
So again, unless you know something that the rest of us don't or doesn't show up in the financials, you might not have the deal you think, even at $2.96 a share.
Linux geeks should read it!
http://www.livejournal.com/users/pro_anorexia/
They are a heckuva lot better than the Low Density Lipoproteins...
JHDL, now -- let me guess: Just-right Height Density Lipoproteins? Sure sounds good to me...
;)
--
Victor Danilchenko
I just heard some sad news on talk radio - Horror/Sci Fi writer Stephen King was found dead in his Maine home this morning. There weren't any more details. I'm sure everyone in the Slashdot community will miss him - even if you didn't enjoy his work, there's no denying his contributions to popular culture. Truly an American icon.
...click on this link.
eat shit and die, Bambi!
The "frost pist" guy doesn't reply to those that mock him... so he won't.
- resteves