FPGA prototyping
Beginner
Loading a chip design onto chips that can be rewired by software, so it runs fast enough to use with real devices.
Novice
Loading the design onto FPGAs, chips whose circuits can be reconfigured after manufacture, so it runs fast enough to run real software and connect to real devices.
Expert
Needs FPGA-specific changes (clocking, memories, splitting the design across several devices), so it is not cycle-identical to the final chip. Compiles are slow and visibility is limited; watching a new signal usually means recompiling.