In early 1996 this non-profit organization, The Association for the
Advancement of FPGA Design Methodologies (AAFDM), was formed by
myself and three other individuals.  As the name implies, the goal of the
Association is to advance the methodologies used in FPGA design.  We
intend to do so by providing an unbiased source for information
about various FPGA architectures, design platforms and methods, etc.
The focal point of our association is our website at:
http://pages.tico.com/chase

As founder of the association, I maintain the website and our members
collectively work (in their spare time) at incrementally adding
useful content.  At the present time there is no fee for joining the
association; instead the requirement is that one submit FPGA related
documents for publication on the site.  Submission of the first
document entitles one to "associate membership"; acceptance of two
documents by the association elevates one to "contributing member" status.
We do accept donations of any amount to offset the cost of
maintaining the site.  We would certainly welcome the participation
of any of CE Weekly's constituency.

Even though the site has been online only a few months we have gotten
more attention than we expected, particularly from the various FPGA
companies.  As a result, we are sometimes in a position to offer
our members contacts within the major FGPA manufacturers.  Such
contacts can provide technical data and sometimes even short term loans
of development software to allow members to gain experience with their
products.  As a result, members receive the benefit of a venue to
publish designs, methods, ideas, etc., along with a path to follow
in gaining experience and procuring tools.

We welcome your comments at:
chasem@nando.net

Regards, Chase McCord.