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When you need an FPGA, you need an FGPA. I don't think anyone would spec out one gate at a time if C and an operating system could cut it.

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For example, I once purchased an oscilloscope that could measure up to ... I forget, but it was probably either 200MHz or 500MHz. Anyway, it was a hobbyist scope, so the manufacturer could not afford custom silicon. Nor, I presume, could the speed requirements be met by a DSP chip. They used a microprocessor mated to an FPGA to do signal capture & processing, which was fed to the microprocessor.

But that's not the contention here; those applications are outside the domain of most programmers, including embedded developers.

"embedded" encompasses a host of different applications- many of which either could benefit from an FPGA, or might benefit from prototyping on an FPGA for custom silicon.

Somewhat true.

I think the OP is targeted at programmers en masse. So, if we were to pick majority of embedded programmers and see if their application would benefit directly from an FPGA, I'm fairly certain my previous post would come in to play.

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