[Gb-ccb] 17feb04 CCB telecon minutes

[Martin Shepherd]

On Thu, 19 Feb 2004, John Ford wrote:
> extra complexity invites extra problems.  I suggest we trust the
> reference signals.

How am I supposed to ensure that this thing works if it unnecesarily
depends on external conditions which rely on the lack of human error?
Maybe this is a difference in philosophy between programming and
electronic engineering, but in my book one should always try to ensure
that something works predictably, regardless of what a human operator
might do. It seems to me that a single flip-flop ensuring correct
operation is far less complex than relying on somebody plugging in the
right coax cable, and seriously, if a single flip-flop is a considered
to be a liability, what of the 4 FPGAs with 100s of thousands of gates
and flip-flops each?

Martin