Speaker
Description
We discuss and contrast SVN vs. GIT for FPGA HDL development. Hierarchical designs with multiple repositories are common for large FPGA projects. SVN:Externals provides native hierarchical support with precise submodule references, requiring no plugins or scripting. GIT Submodules are cumbersome by contrast and require careful cross-repository coordination. More critically, GIT clones entire repository histories locally, a big problem for hierarchical designs. For example, a 3-level, 4-submodule per level hierarchy yields 21 full repository checkouts. FPGA binary files such as bitstreams and build artifacts inflate repositories with every commit, but should be version-controlled since routine recompilation is not efficient given that FPGA builds often take hours or days. We discuss GIT shallow cloning and GIT-LFS and show that these provide inferior solutions to SVN. Though not the conventional wisdom, we contend that SVN is demonstrably superior to GIT for FPGA HDL development.
| Talk's Q&A | During the talk |
|---|---|
| Talk duration | 20'+10' |
| Will you be able to present in person? | Yes |
| If we are unable to accommodate your oral presentation, would you be willing to consider presenting a poster instead? | Yes |