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To: hackers@freebsd.org
cc: elh@spnet.com
Subject: FreeBSD Killer Apps (was Re: TCL vs...)
Date: Tue, 18 Jul 1995 09:51:11 -0700
From: Ed Hudson <elh_fbsd@spnet.com>
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howdy.

	i'm not certain this is appropriate for
	this news group...

	i build ic cad applications (original work), and
	use FreeBSD as my primary development platform...
	sadly, all of my distributions (sales) are to IRIX and
	SunOS platforms (to date)...  i'm trying to talk a major
	cad vendor into making their primary product available
	under FreeBSD... the answer is (so far) 'when we
	can get FlexLM support, then maybe we'll proceed...'

	FlexLM is a license manager/library application
	that most IC cad vendors use.  as such, it maybe
	a critical 'sub-application'

	i know of at least one vlsi design startup here
	in silicon valley that uses NetBSD for running
	significant logic simulation regressions on a
	large array of pentia's (private verilog2c)
	(i know of a couple of other startups considering a
	similar methodology - i'm trying to steer them to
	FreeBSD).

	i know of several people using FreeBSD boxes as
	X-terminals for isdn links to their work places
	(again, sadly, i know more people using linux
	for this, so far... but hope this will change
	as people try to actually run local compiles instead
	of just X - they'll want a more SunOS like environment)

	FreeBSD is just missing a couple of key applications
	to be generally usefull as an ic-development environment
	commercially (ie, commercial use of public domain,
	or near-public-domain (university) (eg, spice3) tools).

	in particular, a good public-domain verilog is needed
	the most (i understand that such an effort is underway
	at stanford?)

	for many of the univeristy tools, ports exist, but
	there's no central distribution available.  for many
	of these university tools in the USA, such as spice3,
	there are hold-over export restrictions that are about
	as bad as DES.

		-elh