Do you own your Labview License?

[TheBoss]

Hi, i was wondering how much it would be to buy the Labview license for myself. Then noticed the price , so is there any discount out there or do you just use your companys version of the Labview??

[jgcode]

Hi, i was wondering how much it would be to buy the Labview license for myself. Then noticed the price , so is there any discount out there or do you just use your companys version of the Labview??

This is what I have been told by my employer, it may not be 100% (and best to hear it from the horse's mouth) but it is my current understanding...

So I have been told NI have loosened up the license restriction from years ago. Currently, for a standard purchase of LabVIEW you are allowed 3 installs with the notion that you will require the following (or similar setup):

• 1x Development Machine
• 1x Running System (for debugging) Machine
• 1x Home Machine

I think that's pretty fair, although some my argue differently, as there is also this Idea out there: Noncommercial Hobby/Home license for LabVIEW which has really blown up in votes since I last saw it!

But I am probably biased as we ran a VLM at my last job and this one we are a Certified Alliance Partner with a Dev Suite - so T&C are different.

[jzoller]

Something to note...

Using a home install of a company license may end up gifting your personal work to that company.

If you wish to keep/open source/license/sell your work independently, make sure you know your employer's policies, your employment contract and local laws.

[jgcode]

Something to note...

Using a home install of a company license may end up gifting your personal work to that company.

If you wish to keep/open source/license/sell your work independently, make sure you know your employer's policies, your employment contract and local laws.

Good point!

My post was related to working on company work, on a company license, so I have no idea what your company's policies are...

...Heck I better find out what mine are

[Ton Plomp]

I use the license of my employer at home.

However every once a year I look into buying one myself (preferable a used license) or a debug license which are cheaper.

My employer is not interested in the code I produce at home, nor has the intention of ever selling code themself, my contract was just 2 pages. Our IT-rules say that I can install a local copy of MS Office for instance, and they don't make a note that they have the IP on the documents I write with MS Office, I extrapolate this guideline into a field of interest. (on the same basis I use Total Commander at home, which would be the second piece of software I would buy when starting my own company).

Ton

[ShaunR]

This is what I have been told by my employer, it may not be 100% (and best to hear it from the horse's mouth) but it is my current understanding...

So I have been told NI have loosened up the license restriction from years ago. Currently, for a standard purchase of LabVIEW you are allowed 3 installs with the notion that you will require the following (or similar setup):

• 1x Development Machine
• 1x Running System (for debugging) Machine
• 1x Home Machine

I think that's pretty fair, although some my argue differently, as there is also this Idea out there: Noncommercial Hobby/Home license for LabVIEW which has really blown up in votes since I last saw it!

But I am probably biased as we ran a VLM at my last job and this one we are a Certified Alliance Partner with a Dev Suite - so T&C are different.

Not quite.. Here are the licensing options. They are quite clear.

[jgcode]

Not quite.. Here are the licensing options. They are quite clear.

Its pretty close to what I said re: home licence - you get at least one.

[TheBoss]

This is what I have been told by my employer, it may not be 100% (and best to hear it from the horse's mouth) but it is my current understanding...

So I have been told NI have loosened up the license restriction from years ago. Currently, for a standard purchase of LabVIEW you are allowed 3 installs with the notion that you will require the following (or similar setup):

• 1x Development Machine
• 1x Running System (for debugging) Machine
• 1x Home Machine

I think that's pretty fair, although some my argue differently, as there is also this Idea out there: Noncommercial Hobby/Home license for LabVIEW which has really blown up in votes since I last saw it!

But I am probably biased as we ran a VLM at my last job and this one we are a Certified Alliance Partner with a Dev Suite - so T&C are different.

My problem at the moment is i've got a new job which starts tomorrow. But they may not necessarily buy Labview immediately, thats one of the reasons why i'm looking into my own license.

[jgcode]

My problem at the moment is i've got a new job which starts tomorrow. But they may not necessarily buy Labview immediately, thats one of the reasons why i'm looking into my own license.

LabVIEW has a 30-day eval, might buy you some time to use it?

Don't think you can build exe with it tho.

[TheBoss]

LabVIEW has a 30-day eval, might buy you some time to use it?

Don't think you can build exe with it tho.

Good idea

[jdunham]

My problem at the moment is i've got a new job which starts tomorrow. But they may not necessarily buy Labview immediately, thats one of the reasons why i'm looking into my own license.

Also you could enlist the help of your local NI sales rep. You can find out his or her contact info at NI's web site. That person's full-time job is to try to get your employer to buy LabVIEW, so s/he might be really good at that. I have no doubt the rep would like to hear from you. That person pretty much has authority to let you use a full LabVIEW licesnse as long as your company needs while it is making a decision.

Jason

[ShaunR]

Also you could enlist the help of your local NI sales rep. You can find out his or her contact info at NI's web site. That person's full-time job is to try to get your employer to buy LabVIEW, so s/he might be really good at that. I have no doubt the rep would like to hear from you. That person pretty much has authority to let you use a full LabVIEW licesnse as long as your company needs while it is making a decision.

Jason

This can backfire quite spectacularly. My experience has been that a companies( generally) won't spend any money unless they really, really have to. If there is a legitimate way to use labview without paying (either long-term or short term) then it is usually argued by the bean counters' that it is not a necessity to buy now and once you have used the goodwill, then the evaluation...they will consider it again (you only make it easier for them to delay). I've always found it far better to argue that the project cannot proceed at all and is at risk unless a licence is bought, and, although an evaluation is available, it has already been used during the feasibility phase.

It can put you in an uncomfortable position where the NI rep is pressing you for an order, but the accounts dept are dragging their feet (you are after all only one of many requirements for monies) and you are piggy in the middle.

[jdunham]

This can backfire quite spectacularly...

Well, sure, and your next baseball game might rain out too. But the OP should try to get his or her company to do the right thing, and my point is that one doesn't necessarily have to go it alone. There shouldn't be any reason to contemplate buying your own LV license if you are working for a responsible company.

If you are working at a new company and you find out they won't invest in the tools you need to do your job, or that they steal from other companies, that's a sign that you have not found a great place to work.

[Roderic]

You cannot build .exe with LabVIEW eval, nor with the student edition (which I use and has almost every functionality of LabVIEW) .

[jgcode]

If you are working at a new company and you find out they won't invest in the tools you need to do your job, or that they steal from other companies, that's a sign that you have not found a great place to work.

Thats a really good point.

Although I am sure this happens more out there than I would like to think it does!

[ShaunR]

Well, sure, and your next baseball game might rain out too. But the OP should try to get his or her company to do the right thing, and my point is that one doesn't necessarily have to go it alone. There shouldn't be any reason to contemplate buying your own LV license if you are working for a responsible company.

If you are working at a new company and you find out they won't invest in the tools you need to do your job, or that they steal from other companies, that's a sign that you have not found a great place to work.

I'd choose an in-door court But then I plan for failure

I don't think there are many companies that would expect you to produce code without the tools to do it. Which had me wondering why the OP is being put in this position in the first place. Or indeed, why the question has even arisen. It's like asking a chauffeur to drive you to the ball with no car

But it's not a case of "stealing" or won't invest. It's a case of not investing until you absolutely have too (different budgets, different invoice dates, cash flow). And unfortunately, its the bean counters' that run companies now-a-days and an accountant doesn't give 2 hoots if you have to make an aeroplane with a fork and a piece of bamboo, Just as long as you do and his figures add up at the end of it.

[jcarmody]

I have a student version of LabVIEW 2009 for my kids (home school).

[Cat]

Not quite.. Here are the licensing options. They are quite clear.

"The software may be executing on only one computer at a time."

Hmm. I definitely violate this one. I run source on two computers to debug sending and receiving data. Oops.

Then again, since I have 3 licenses registered to me, I'm probably ok.

[ShaunR]

"The software may be executing on only one computer at a time."

Hmm. I definitely violate this one. I run source on two computers to debug sending and receiving data. Oops.

Then again, since I have 3 licenses registered to me, I'm probably ok.

Does that mean you get 3 salaries since you're obviously doing the work of 3 people

[asbo]

Hmm. I definitely violate this one. I run source on two computers to debug sending and receiving data. Oops.

I think the VM loophole gets around that one anyway

[Cat]

Does that mean you get 3 salaries since you're obviously doing the work of 3 people

I'm forwarding this to my boss.