ron minnich wrote:
And, yes, no question, this is an activity that likely occurs less than it should. Such is our industry.
Such is project policy. Maybe because it's the lowest common denominator in industry.
It is not possible to know, a priori, what those common pieces will be.
I think this is where we fundamentally disagree. I think common pieces and their interfaces can be recognized based on the hard IP blocks and their interfaces plus some creative thinking based on development experience.
That working really well requires supportive silicon vendors. AMD is in a good position to lead by example here. ;)
There is the further risk (this has happened) that a seemingly harmless change is discovered to break some board, 1.5 years later. This has happened. To me.
Regression testing and release engineering are for sure important for anyone delivering firmware updates to customers.
As has been pointed out, always in motion, the future is.
Interesting times!
//Peter