Computer hardware description languages—A tutorial

Just as software designers use high level languages (HLL) to express the algorithms in terms of language statements, digital hard-ware designers use hardware description languages (HDL) to describe the system they are designing. Although HDL´s were originated as a medium of precise yet concise description of digital hardware, they have found a variety of applications such as generating user manuals, teaching logic design, acting as an input medium for an automatic design system, etc. This tutorial paper introduces HDL´s as useful tools for hardware design and documentation. The capabilities and limitations of HDL´s are discussed, along with the guidelines to select an HDL. The directions for future work and an extensive bibliography are provided.