In electronics, a hardware description language or HDL is any language from a class of computer languages for formal description of electronic circuits. It can describe the circuit's ^*, its design, and tests to verify its operation by means of simulation.

An HDL is a standard text-based expression of the temporal behaviour and/or (spatial) circuit structure of an electronic system. In contrast to a software programming language, an HDL's syntax and semantics include explicit notations for expressing time and concurrency which are the primary attributes of hardware. Languages whose only characteristic is to express circuit connectivity between a hierarchy of blocks are properly classified as netlist languages.

HDLs are used to write executable specifications of some piece of hardware. A simulation program, designed to implement the underlying semantics of the language statements, coupled with simulating the progress of time, provides the hardware designer with the ability to model a piece of hardware before it is created physically. It is this executability that gives the illusion of HDLs being a programming language. Simulators capabable of supporting discrete event (digital), and continuous time (analog) modeling exist and HDL's targeted for each are available.

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AT&T’s Rivals Are Happy to Attack Over iPhone’s Network Woes
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 07:19:16 -0000
The debut of Apple’s iPhone 3G cellphones has been a public relations headache for AT&T, after complaints of dropped calls and poor network connections.
Bits: Does Silicon Valley Face an Innovation Crisis?
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 06:38:12 -0000
Judy Estrin, a serial technology entrepreneur, says in a new book that Silicon Valley — and the country — are facing a crisis of innovation.
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The cable industry has introduced an experimental political channel that gives advertisers a uniform way to buy time and measure the number of people watching.
Results at Novell Are Better Than Expected
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 07:25:58 -0000
The business software maker Novell posted a quarterly loss but its results were better than expected, helped by an increase in sales of Linux software.
Dell’s Profit Drop Surprises Investors
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 07:23:12 -0000
Dell stunned investors with a 17 percent decline in quarterly profit and a warning that a slowdown in technology spending in the United States had begun to spread to Asia and Europe.
Industry Rethinks Moneymaking Software Practice
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:32:09 -0000
Before they ship PCs to retailers like Best Buy, computer makers get paid hundreds of millions of dollars to load them up with lots of free software. For $30, Best Buy will get rid of it for you.

NerdTV | PBS

NerdTV #13: Judy Estrin
Mon, 10 Apr 2006 12:00:00 -0700
Judy Estrin's career ranges from founder of Bridge Communications to CTO of Cisco to running Packet Design LLC. Quite the girl geek, eh?Download video:Entire Show:MPEG-4 | TorrentNerdy Bit:MPEG-4 | TorrentJuicy Bit:MPEG-4 | TorrentDownload subtitled video:Entire Show:With Subtitles | Torrent w/ SubtitlesNerdy Bit:With Subtitles | Torrent w/ SubtitlesJuicy Bit:With Subtitles | Torrent w/ SubtitlesDownload audio:Entire Show:MP3 | TorrentAAC | TorrentOgg Vorbis | Torrent
NerdTV #13: Judy Estrin - Transcript
Mon, 10 Apr 2006 12:00:00 -0700
For those who would rather read than watch or listen.
NerdTV Archives
Mon, 10 Apr 2006 12:00:00 -0700
Miss a past show? Check out our archives.Past guests include:#12: Bob KahnInventor of TCP/IP.#11: Doug EngelbartComputer mouse inventor.#10: Dan BricklinInventor of the Spreadsheet#9: AninaHigh Fashion Meets High Tech#8: Avram MillerCo-founder of Intel Capital#7: Dan DrakeCo-founder of Autodesk#6: Dave WinerFather of RSS and Web Logging#5: Tim O'ReillyOpen Source pioneer#4: Brewster KahleInternet Archive founder#3: Bill JoyCo-founder of Sun#2: Max LevchinCo-founder of PayPal#1: Andy HertzfeldThe first Macintosh programmer...ever

Reuters: Technology News

Microsoft to buy ciao.com price comparison firm
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 05:22:27 -0400
LONDON (Reuters) - Microsoft has agreed to buy Greenfield Online, owner of European price comparison website ciao.com, for about $486 million to boost its Internet search and e-commerce business in Europe.
HP says wins judgment against Pelikan
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 19:08:52 -0400
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hewlett-Packard Co said on Thursday a German court has found Pelikan Hardcopy to be in violation of laws on unfair competition.
GeoEye signs deal to provide imagery to Google
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 05:10:03 -0400
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - GeoEye Inc on Thursday said it will provide imagery from its new $502 million high-resolution GeoEye-1 satellite to Google Earth and Google Maps after the spacecraft is launched on September 4.

AP Top Technology News At 7:06 a.m. EDT

Even critics give Apple a pass on iPhone 3G woes
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