Newbie vs VHDL: season 01 episode 01

1. Use whatever is most readable for someone who has never seen your code before.

2. Id just go with the 24 bit counter. Quartus knows what you want and will be more readable for someone whos never read your code before after you've left the company.

3. They are both the same. Think about the poor intern who has to read your code when you're out sick.

4. Yes and no. Use appropriate types for the situation. Unsigned/signed for arithmetic. Integers if life is easier. Booleans sometimes for quick code:

signal something_happened : boolean;
something_happened <= (ip = '1');
....
if something_happened then
  --react
end if;

Think about your replacement when you've been promoted and you dont want your workers to laugh at your terrible code.