diff --git a/FAQ b/FAQ
index 266708055..c5c3a63e7 100644
--- a/FAQ
+++ b/FAQ
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
- Ngspice F.A.Q.Version 1.2
+ Ngspice F.A.Q.Version 1.4
Maintained by Paolo Nenzi
- Last update: 02-11-2003
+ Last update: 27-01-2004
This document contains the Frequently Asked Questions (and Answers)
for ngspice project.
@@ -51,13 +51,28 @@
1.1 What is ngspice?
- Ngspice is the name of a project and of a program in the project. The idea behind the project is to improve the capabilities of the
- Spice 3f5 circuit simulator. Spice is the most famous circuit
- simulator, developed at the University of California at Berkeley
- (UCB), by "a cast of thousand" (as they say). The NG prefix has lot
- of meanings: Next Generation, New Good, etc. Choose or invent the one
- you prefer. The heart of the project is the ngspice program, a circuit
- simulator derived from spice3f5.
+ Ngspice is a mixed-level/mixed-signal circuit simulator based on three
+ open source software packages: Spice3f5, Cider1b1 and Xspice:
+
+ - Spice3 is the most famous and used circuit simulator. It was
+ developed University of California at Berkeley (UCB), by "a cast of
+ thousand" (as they say).
+
+ - Cider is a mixed-level simulator that already includes Spice3f5 and
+ adds a device simulator to it: DSIM. Cider couples the circuit level
+ simulator to the device simulator to provide greater simulation
+ accuracy (at the expense of greater simulation time). Critical
+ devices can be described with technology parameters (numerical
+ models) and non critical ones with the original spice's compact
+ models.
+
+ - Xspice is an extension to Spice3 that provides code modeling support
+ and simulation of digital components through an embedded event
+ driven algorithm.
+
+ The NG prefix has lot of meanings: Next Generation, New Good, etc.
+ Choose or invent the one you prefer. The heart of the project is the
+ ngspice program.
1.2 Why resurrecting Berkeley's Spice?
@@ -291,28 +306,29 @@
The latest version released is:
- * ngspice-rework-14 (released on 10/12/2001)
+ * ngspice-rework-15 (released on 10/12/2001)
- The development vesrion is:
+ The development version is:
- * ngspice-rework-15pre1 (in CVS)
+ * ngspice-rework-15pre3 (released on 28/01/2004)
2.2. What are the latest features in the current release?
New features:
- + New functions for vectors: vecmax (find max element in a vector),
- vecmin (find minimum element in a vector), vecd (differentiate a
- vector).
- + BSIM 4 and support EKV models.
+ + Improved bipolar devices (Diode and bjt)
+ + Improved BSIM3 and BSIM4
+ + VBIC and HiSIM compact models
+ + Cider and Xspice inclusion
+ + More flexibility in net names
+ + Parameter substitution in netlist
Bug fixes:
- + Some memory leaks closed.
-
- + Error reporting more verbose
+ + Many memory leaks closed
+ + Control language works as expected
2.3. What does it looks like?