The FPGA in my scope probe that is dutifully implementing the functionality of an EEPROM while loading its configuration from an even larger EEPROM exists in a state of extreme disagreement to your comment.
Yeah obviously FPGA's are unquestionably awesome devices, but IMO the real problem with them is they have no long tail or economies of scale compared to other device types. Having worked with them personally, I mostly believe this is because there aren't really any great cross vendor standards analogous to a CPU's ISA. The lack of interoperability absolutely destroys the ability of competition to benefit customers. I'd like to be able to buy a modern $5 part with capabilities equivalent to something like a Cyclone IV, but there's nothing even remotely close.
For a slowly increasing number of use cases, Lattice is starting to change that. Not quite Cyclone IV, but the ECP5 can be pretty decent for the price. Over time I think their new CertusPro-NX line is going to become interesting.
That is good! I am hopeful as well! However I don't think that the parts that you are talking about are fundamentally solving the problems I discussed. You have always been able to go to a vendor outside of the top few and get cheaper parts -- for the small price of having to rework basically everything. Something has to break the vendor lock-in a little more completely before this can fundamentally change.
Yeah obviously FPGA's are unquestionably awesome devices, but IMO the real problem with them is they have no long tail or economies of scale compared to other device types. Having worked with them personally, I mostly believe this is because there aren't really any great cross vendor standards analogous to a CPU's ISA. The lack of interoperability absolutely destroys the ability of competition to benefit customers. I'd like to be able to buy a modern $5 part with capabilities equivalent to something like a Cyclone IV, but there's nothing even remotely close.