Lurker Roll Call 2.0

[hooovahh]

About 10 years ago Michael posted a Lurker Roll Call thread that was pretty successful.  After some discussion at NI Week this year several members said we should start a new thread for the users out there that monitor LAVA and use it as a resource, but for some reason or another just don't make posts, or join in the discussion very often, or at all.

So tell us about yourself.  How often do you use LabVIEW?  What is your technical background?  What is your favorite project you've done with LabVIEW?  Ever been to NI Week or the LAVA BBQ?  And if nothing else have you heard about LabVIEW NXG?  NI has been teasing a new IDE for LabVIEW for a few years and 1.0 is finally out, what are your initial impressions?  Also feel free to also post in the recent thread about NXG.

I just did a search and over 30,000 users have 0 or 1 posts on LAVA.

[Bryan]

I've been on here for quite a long time.  I don't normally post much anymore.  I used to be pretty active.  Normally I find the answers I'm looking for via searching.

I don't get to play with newer versions of LabVIEW very often.  The company I work for has a tendency to freeze our programs in time and it's rare that we have the opportunity to move to latest and greatest versions of LabVIEW.  So, I don't know much about newer features and functions.  This has lead me to allow my CLD to expire a few years ago.  I wasn't really "using it" and re-certifying normally lead to me having to do a lot of homework on my own time in order to pass the CLD recert. My previous employers were more supportive of me being the resident "LabVIEW Guru".  I'm known as such at my current job as well, but as I said, don't get to use and explore the latest features of LabVIEW.

I'm able to use LabVIEW sporatically and not as much as I would like to.  It's normally feast or famine.  Most of the LabVIEW I end up doing are for things that I don't enjoy, like keeping an old LabVIEW 6.1 ATE running NI Test Executive up and running and our current LabVIEW 2010 3rd party Test Executive ATE up and running.

My technical background is mostly test engineering, so "Jack of all trades" type of stuff due to our small department.

My favorite project is one that I'm actually just winding down on for a sister site of ours.  Upgrading a version of test software that was converted up from LabVIEW 5.1 to 2014.  It was done before I came on board with the project.  The previous developer was a good programmer and I was able to figure things out.  I can't go into a lot of detail about it, but I feel it was my most professional undertaking with LabVIEW yet... allowing me to create a professional EXE and installer, graphics, etc.  Actual software-engineering stuff that I rarely get to do in pieces let alone in entirety.

I've been using LabVIEW since 1999 and have always wanted to go to NI Week, and the LAVA BBQs once they started.  The companies I've worked for either never had the budget to send me or something else came up that was priority.  The same happened this past year.  (There's always next year, right?)

I just heard about LabVIEW NXG via THIS form today.  I'll have to spend some time looking into it before I form my impressions, but am worried about what I'm reading as it possibly being a replacement for LabVIEW in the future, making my limited knowledge and experience old-hat.  But, that may be a knee-jerk reaction at this time. 

[hooovahh]

There certainly is a fine line between being on the cutting edge of a new version, and also being the first to find bugs and issues with a new version of software.  I know a lot of companies that just hold off upgrading as a result.  Most I know wait for the SP1 release of LabVIEW before upgrading at least.  I like to participate in betas so the added excitement of new features, and thinking how I can improve my code with them is enough to help push me into the latest version.

The message NI is trying to send with NXG is that it will replace the LabVIEW we know today...eventually.  But that the information we all know about the language doesn't go away.  Someone even mentioned how there is not going to be two different CLDs, one for LabVIEW, and one for NXG.  You will be allowed to use either IDE because in the end they both are creating the same code.  Things like data flow, graphical programming, palette navigation, and good coding practices like state machines, aren't IDE specific.  That being said I know what you mean, there is some intrinsic knowledge about the current LabVIEW that will become obsolete, and we will need to learn about NXG's quirks.  But honestly this is several years out, NXG 1.0 in my opinion is closer to Signal Express, than it is LabVIEW.  But with each new version you will see more current gen LabVIEW features make its way into next gen.

[bjustice]

Hi Hooovah!

I suppose that I've lurked long enough; maybe I should post something.  So, hello!  I just got back from NI week --> this was my 2nd time attending.  I bought you a beer at the LAVA BBQ.  (That means I get Kudos, right?  How does this internet thing work?)  The advanced users track brought me back to the conference again this year.  What a great group of people

I have a degree in aerospace engineering with no formal software engineering education.  I sorta taught myself LabVIEW in college for various projects. I've been working pretty heavily in LabVIEW during the last 4 years.  I was at SpaceX for a bit, and now I'm at Blue Origin.

I don't post very much simply because I don't have the time.  Work keeps me busy, even when at a full sprint.  When I jump on the forums, it usually because I've run into a limitation of LabVIEW, and am looking for a workaround.  If I don't find an acceptable workaround in 20 minutes, I will usually move on with a different solution.  I don't have the time to post a questions and collect further feedback or to contribute on a discussion.

I wish that I could share more code with the community, but most of what I do is work related... and cannot be shared.  Nonetheless, I do have one project from college that I've posted online.  It's pretty old now, and I've come a long way since then, but maybe it's a project worth sharing in this thread.  Enjoy!: Link

Anyways, I'll try to post more and participate in discussions.  You guys rock, cya at NI Week next year!

-Brent

 

[hooovahh]

Yeah I remember you, I don't remember what I was drinking but I remember you.  Glad you had a good time at NI Week and the BBQ.  That project looks very cool by the way.