We have the chips produced from earlier eras, but what
attempts have
been made to preserve the design tools from those earlier eras?
This is the same problem I've run into with minicomputer/mainframe software.
No one thought it was important to save this, or if they did I've not been
able to find anyone willing to release it.
Some of the circuit design stuff (like ECAP) is around. I have some of the
early Berkeley CAD tools tapes, and a few versions of Spice.
Livermore/Stanford's SCALD system (which morphed into the SCALD product from
Valid) is public domain, but I can't find anyone who saved a copy.
I don't know of anyone who saved a complete Daisy Logician, or a Valid Logic
SCALDstation (w software), or the VTI CAD tools (written in MAINSAIL).
You'll also find this stuff was tightly licensed in the workstation world,
since the price per seat was (is) so high.