From 494848cbf05f87897ed79067cf0eace7ff566d4b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: bnewbold <bnewbold@robocracy.org>
Date: Thu, 1 May 2014 17:03:24 -0400
Subject: back up misc crap from ent before wipe

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+to: team@leaflabs.com
+subj: paper review: "Nonblocking Assignments in Verilog Synthesis..."
+
+TL;DR: this is something like a "goto considered harmful" w/r/t using confusing
+blocking assignment in (non-sythesizable?) Verilog.
+
+# Context
+
+This paper was written in 2000 and seems to target Verilog programmers who
+write non-synthesizable simulation code. Despite the word "Synthesis" in the
+title. After reading, the implication that this paper might have any new
+insights for an engineer whose failure might "kill" stikes fear in my gut.
+
+Apparently this won a "Best Paper" award at a conference back when it was
+published.
+
+On page 15 there is a note about about synthesis performance: "The latter would
+be inefficient from a simulation time perspective"; perhaps this was the
+historical temptation of these bad practices?
+
+# Judgement
+
+There's really nothing new here (for jess/aj/bryan at least): for sequential
+logic use nonblocking assignment in always@ blocks, and for combinatoral logic
+use 'assign' statements outside of a block, unless you have something really
+tight and complicated going on, in which case use an always block with a
+carefully selected sensitivity list and all blocking assignments inside.
+
+# Nuggets
+
+From page 20: "Nonblocking assignments are updated after all $display
+commands". I did not know this! The example given is pretty good; $strobe is
+recommended as the alternative:
+
+    module display_cmds;
+        reg a;
+        initial $monitor("\$monitor: a = %b", a);
+        initial begin
+            $strobe ("\$strobe : a = %b", a);
+            a = 0;
+            a <= 1;
+            $display ("\$display: a = %b", a);
+            #1 $finish;
+        end
+    endmodule
+
+gives:
+
+    $display: a = 0
+    $monitor: a = 1
+    $strobe : a = 1
+
+# Appendix: Verilog Coding Guidelines
+
+Verbatim from paper:
+
+1: When modeling sequential logic, use nonblocking assignments.
+2: When modeling latches, use nonblocking assignments.
+3: When modeling combinational logic with an always block, use blocking
+.
+4: When modeling both sequential and combinational logic within the same always
+nonblocking assignments.
+5: Do not mix blocking and nonblocking assignments in the same always block.
+6: Do not make assignments to the same variable from more than one always block.
+7: Use $strobe to display values that have been assigned using nonblocking
+.
+8: Do not make assignments using #0 delays.
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