Tom Loredo <loredo@astro.cornell.edu> wrote in
news:glktv2$73v$1@ruby.cit.cornell.edu: 

> 
> Hi folks-
> 
> I'll be working on a DSP project in a few months, as someone
> with significant 8-bit microcontroller experience, and lots
> of signal processing experience in software (C, Fortran, Python)
> but none on hardware DSP.  The two applications involve
> audio processing; one of them will be portable.  Blackfin
> is the platform I'm currently leaning toward.
> 
> I see that AD currently has Blackfin and SHARC tools deeply
> discounted, but only through this week.  That doesn't give
> me enough time to do the needed research to make a truly
> educated decision about the purchase (i.e., downloading
> demos, getting an EZ-KIT to try them, etc.).  So I'm
> soliciting feedback from you experts.
> 
> Do any of you have experience with *both* the GNU toolchain
> and AD's VisualDSP++ for Blackfin and/or SHARC?  If so,
> would you please post a bit about your experience---is life
> as an AD DSP programmer very much easier having made the
> VisualDSP++ investment?  Or were you just fine with GNU?
> 
> Finally, if you have any opinion on the value of the AD
> ICE in your development process, I'd appreciate hearing of
> it.  The current AD offer has an option to get their ICE
> at a deeply discounted price.
> 
> FYI - Al Clark's company looks like a good place to get these:
> 
> http://www.danvillesignal.com/analog-devices-development-tools/analog-dev
> ices-development-tools-for-blackfin-sharc.html 
> 
> Thanks,
> Tom
> 

Thanks Tom for the mention. You are right that the special pricing ends 
this month.

We have played a little with Linux on the Blackfin but decided to go back 
to the ADI tool set since our current work is based on the ADI driver 
model. I would never develop without an ICE (or built in debugger). The 
Blackfin bundle is very cheap when you consider that it includes the HP USB 
ICE. We use these all the time in our work.

From a SHARC point of view, there really is only VDSP. The really old GNU 
tools WERE AWFUL.

Al Clark
Danville Signal 

Hi folks-

I'll be working on a DSP project in a few months, as someone
with significant 8-bit microcontroller experience, and lots
of signal processing experience in software (C, Fortran, Python)
but none on hardware DSP.  The two applications involve
audio processing; one of them will be portable.  Blackfin
is the platform I'm currently leaning toward.

I see that AD currently has Blackfin and SHARC tools deeply
discounted, but only through this week.  That doesn't give
me enough time to do the needed research to make a truly
educated decision about the purchase (i.e., downloading
demos, getting an EZ-KIT to try them, etc.).  So I'm
soliciting feedback from you experts.

Do any of you have experience with *both* the GNU toolchain
and AD's VisualDSP++ for Blackfin and/or SHARC?  If so,
would you please post a bit about your experience---is life
as an AD DSP programmer very much easier having made the
VisualDSP++ investment?  Or were you just fine with GNU?

Finally, if you have any opinion on the value of the AD
ICE in your development process, I'd appreciate hearing of
it.  The current AD offer has an option to get their ICE
at a deeply discounted price.

FYI - Al Clark's company looks like a good place to get these:

http://www.danvillesignal.com/analog-devices-development-tools/analog-devices-development-tools-for-blackfin-sharc.html

Thanks,
Tom