New Xilinx forum.

Hey Guys,
Did any of you get an email like this last weekend(see below)?
What a crock! Like a mug, I signed in tonight with my regular Xilinx login, 
to check it out. Not exactly popular yet...

I'm uncomfortable with an FPGA forum controlled by one of the de facto 
duopoly. (Sorry 'L' :-| ) I'd prefer they spent their effort on the public 
forum we already have.

Anyway, if you post here on CAF and didn't get an email, clearly you're not 
a 'significant' contributor. I wonder what one has to do to be significant?

Cheers, Syms.



Symon,

Thank you for your support and use of Xilinx products.  We have recognized 
you as a significant contributor in regards to Xilinx products on 
comp.arch.fpga and would like to invite you to join our new Xilinx User 
Community.   It will be opening to the public on August 13, 2007.


Please see the information below on how to join.

Sincerely,

[Redacted]
Customer Applications Manager

Symon,

Well, all I can say, is that this is an attempt to improve our service.

As everyone here knows, c.a.f. is open to everyone, and anyone, and 
there is no censorship (so most Xilinx employees will not post here).

It was felt that a true Xilinx sponsored forum might be beneficial - 
allow direct communication.

Obviously, Peter and I feel a little odd, as we felt we were doing a 
good job here on c.a.f.  (Perhaps we are, but more is needed?).

But, in defense of those who feel that a "real Xilinx forum" has value, 
I am going to advise folks to give it a try.

After all, if people use it, and find it valuable, then it serves a purpose.

If it is of no utility, it will die a natural 'Internet Death', and go away.

Take it as an opportunity.  After all, there will be 'real' applications 
engineers and hotline folks who will be monitoring this new forum (whose 
job it is to make customers happy).

For every post here, I must consider my competition is reading every 
word, and just waiting to pounce.  That does not allow me the freedom 
that some other forum might offer.

Austin

On Aug 7, 5:37 pm, "Symon" <symon_bre...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Hey Guys,
> Did any of you get an email like this last weekend(see below)?
> What a crock! Like a mug, I signed in tonight with my regular Xilinx login,
> to check it out. Not exactly popular yet...

Sigh, just what we need, more places to look for info. Granted the
noise level here is high, but the signal is even lower at vendor
specific "web forums". The Altera one is particularily horrid with
multiple subdivisions, all with near-zero contents.

Alas, this is not going aways as marketing department want to
"control" the information and with a web forum they can pull articles
that doesn't follow the party line. (I'm not paranoid, I've seen the
inside of such forums).

Grumble,
Tommy

austin <austin@xilinx.com> writes:
> there is no censorship (so most Xilinx employees will not post here).

Could you explain this?  It sounds like Xilinx employees are afraid of
people giving their honest opinions of Xilinx's posts.

Symon wrote:
> Hey Guys,
> Did any of you get an email like this last weekend(see below)?

<snip>

I got an invite to the forum, too.  Interesting point: they used the 
email I haven't used in a year and didn't duplicate to the address I've 
been using since.

I'd love to see more EDK issues go to the forum since those are 
Xilinx-specific issues.

I remember when Xilinx had their own forum.  I'd check posts there and 
on the newsgroup when I first started perusing the boards.  It didn't 
seem the forum was very helpful back then with some of the questions 
asked in both places anyway.

If Xilinx-specific issues can be handled on the forum, more power to 
everyone who uses it!

I don't think I'll bother signing on.  Besides - my next chip has to be 
brand A.  :-/  I got the pricing and experience from brand X but someone 
else across the country got the pricing and experience to take me back 
down a road from my distant past.  Oh well.  I *was* originally going to 
use Lattice for the project, anyway.  :-)

- John_H

Symon wrote:
> Anyway, if you post here on CAF and didn't get an email, clearly you're not 
> a 'significant' contributor. I wonder what one has to do to be significant?

My take on 'significant' was that anyone with a pulse was asked ! ;)

-jg

austin wrote:

> Symon,
> 
> Well, all I can say, is that this is an attempt to improve our service.
> 
> As everyone here knows, c.a.f. is open to everyone, and anyone, and 
> there is no censorship (so most Xilinx employees will not post here).

??


> For every post here, I must consider my competition is reading every 
> word, and just waiting to pounce.  That does not allow me the freedom 
> that some other forum might offer.

  Not sure I follow the reasoning. Surely ANY forum could have lurkers,
but perhaps the Altera lurkers are less likely to point out
'excessive arm waving' in a closed Xilinx forum, and thus users miss
out on an important reality check.
  That could be exactly what you meant by 'waiting to pounce' [..on 
bogus claims?]. I can see that may be an advantage to Xilinx spin, but 
how is that an advantage for a customer ?

-jg

I think that scattering the ressources makes them less useful. The
only benefit I can see over c.a.f is the access to more Xilinx
engineers. But that is something that the combination of WebCase/
AnswersDatabase fulfills allready.

Instead of fragmenting the newsgroup I would have thought that adding
real new functionality that the newsgroup can't solve would have been
more useful. Some suggestions of Web 2.0 features for Xilinx that come
to mind:

- allow users to add comments to answer records
  I spend a lot of time browsing through answers, and sometimes I find
answers that are related but not linked, or solutions that also apply
to other bugs, not immediately listed, or incomplete answers, or
better solutions to the same bug, or find out that the same solution
also applies to other versions of the software not listed in the
original record

- allow users to write their own answer records.
  This process could be moderated

- have a bug tracker
  I often stumble over problems that I immediately have a workaround
for, but that should be fixed in later versions of the software
  anyway. I sometimes file a webcase noting that the case can be
closed immediately once it is escalated to the developers.
  However, I believe there is both more incentive to posting bug, and
also more opportunity to help the softwaredevelopers to understand a
bug, if the processing of the bug is visible, like it is in open
source projects. Also, other users can find the bug in the database
and can add their test cases, etc.

Kolja Sulimma

On Aug 8, 3:30 am, austin <aus...@xilinx.com> wrote:
> As everyone here knows, c.a.f. is open to everyone, and anyone, and
> there is no censorship (so most Xilinx employees will not post here).

It is really easy to set up an interface server that allows xilinx to
moderate posts to c.a.f by its employees.

Kolja Sulimma

DJ,

Xilinx has policies about employees communicating in any public forum
(like any company).  Anything posted here by an employee has to be in
compliance with Xilinx policies.  Violation of these policies is grounds
for dismissal.

One has to "keep their cool" and be fully aware that regardless of the
provocation, there are lines we can not cross.  Most employees would
rather not deal with this.  There are about five employees (total) that
accept the risks, know the rules, and post here.  Peter and I keep track
of all Xilinx employees who post, and discuss the requirements with them.

In a discussion group that we directly control, we have more options.

'Honesty' has nothing to do with it.

Austin

DJ Delorie wrote:
> austin <austin@xilinx.com> writes:
>> there is no censorship (so most Xilinx employees will not post here).
> 
> Could you explain this?  It sounds like Xilinx employees are afraid of
> people giving their honest opinions of Xilinx's posts.