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> I strongly suggest completely disregarding anything to do with the processor for your first few projects and use only the FPGA part of the device.

I cannot disagree more strongly. Working with a hybrid software+logic project will teach you so much about both the similarities and differences between the two worlds.

CPU+software+fabric DMA+logic accelerator == win

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If you're talking about people who already know atleast one of digital design or firmware design (writing bare metal drivers etc) then your advice makes sense. But if I were a beginner trying to understand how digital logic design works, the whole Processor + Programmable logic and the complex interfaces between them can overwhelm me and take me away from exploring the base digital logic that is implemented. It will be a much more enjoyable experience to create something in the programmable fabric first and then think about how you can interface it with normal software.

I think what they mean is, as a beginner you don't want to try to learn FPGA and SW/HW codesign at the same time. At least I wouldn't advise it, that's really throwing yourself in the deep end. Better to tackle one area at a time and build incrementally.

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