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QUICK_START.txt

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+* Getting Started with Icarus Verilog
+
+Icarus Verilog is a Verilog compiler. It is suitable for use as a
+simulator, and, to some degree, synthesizer. Icarus Verilog runs under
+Linux and a variety of UNIX systems, as well as Windows as a command
+line tool, so the instructions are generally applicable to all
+environments. Note that this is only a quick start. For more detailed
+documentation, see the manual page for the iverilog command.
+
+
+* Hello, World!
+
+The first thing you want to do as a user is learn how to compile and
+execute even the most trivial design. For the purposes of simulation,
+we use as our example *the* most trivial simulation:
+
+  module main;
+ 
+  initial 
+    begin
+      $display("Hello, World");
+      $finish ;
+    end
+
+  endmodule
+
+By a text editor (or copy hello.vl from the Icarus Verilog examples
+directory) arrange for this program to be in a text file, "hello.vl".
+Next, compile this program with a command like this:
+
+	% iverilog -o hello hello.vl
+
+The results of this compile are placed into the file "hello", as the
+"-o" flag tells the compiler where to place the compiled result. Next,
+execute the compiled program like so:
+
+	% vvp hello
+	Hello, World
+
+And there it is, the program has been executed. So what happened? The
+first step, the "iverilog" command, read and interpreted the source
+file, then generated a compiled result. The compiled form may be
+selected by command line switches, but the default form is the VVP
+format, which is actually run by the "vvp" command.
+
+The "iverilog" and "vvp" commands are the only commands that users
+use to invoke Icarus Verilog. What the compiler actually does is
+controlled by command line switches. In our little example, we asked
+for the comiler to compile the source program to the default vvp form,
+which is in turn executed by the vvp program.
+
+
+* Windows Install
+
+The easiest way to install under Windows is to get a precompiled
+installer for the version you wish to install. Icarus Verilog is
+distributed for Windows users as a self-installing .exe. Just execute
+the installer and follow the instructions. During the install, take
+note of the directory where the program is installed: for example,
+C:\iverilog is a good place to install.
+
+Once the binary is installed, you need to add the bin directory to
+your execution path. The executables you need are in C:\iverilog\bin,
+where the "C:\iverilog" part is actually the root of where you
+installed the package. The programs are in the bin subdirectory. Put
+this directory in your PATH environment variable, and the above
+commands become accessible to you at the command line prompt, or even
+in batch files.
+
+
+* Linux Install
+
+Under Linux, the install is even easier. For RedHat and Mandrake based
+systems, there is the appropriate RPM file. Just install the package
+with the "rpm -U <file>" command. Debian users should get Icarus
+Verilog packages from the main Debian software site.
+
+
+* Install From Source
+
+In this case, see the readme and other documentation that comes with
+the source.