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I would [buy a board], too, if there wasn't the issue with the software: where to get the ISE Logic edition for a reasonable price (<<1kEUR)?
Isn't this still a problem for our design? I thought we will have to rely on people like me who have an ISE license.
It is, but if I don't have the software, I concentrate on the hardware. If I had the software, I might dabble a bit in both.