The Future of LabVIEW

[xiongxinwei]

I would like to ask for your opinion on the future development of labview, will it be replaced by other programming software in the test and measurement industry, such as C#, or Python.

[hooovahh]

Anyone else getting their popcorn?

I cannot predict the future. And worrying about things I can't control gives me anxiety. So I'm just going to chug along as best as I can. My boss likes the work I do, and I like my job. I'll be mindful of industry changes. But at the moment I am not pivoting away from LabVIEW or NI if I can't help it.

[xiongxinwei]

On 7/26/2024 at 9:06 PM, hooovahh said:

Anyone else getting their popcorn?

I cannot predict the future. And worrying about things I can't control gives me anxiety. So I'm just going to chug along as best as I can. My boss likes the work I do, and I like my job. I'll be mindful of industry changes. But at the moment I am not pivoting away from LabVIEW or NI if I can't help it.

You're right, I do worry about nothing.

[brucekr]

I worry some, because I'm self-taught without a degree.  Hoping LabVIEW stays relevant for years to come, but it's prompting me to pick up python and possibly dust off my C.

[mcduff]

I don't work in Industry, I work in a R&D facility but I am slightly pessimistic. My gut feeling is that Python will take over sometime in the near future. I have seen it before. When I first joined my group about 15 years ago all of the analysis was done using Matlab, now everyone uses Python. NI seems seems to be pushing solutions such as Flex Logger, Instrument Studio, etc, instead of LabVIEW. (Interestingly, those solutions look like they were built with NXG.  ) On the plus side, we recently had a presentation by a NI rep who detailed plans for new DAQ equipment that was/is going to be in development. They were looking for feedback. The future is interesting.

[Bryan]

LabVIEW has been my forte throughout my quarter-century or so of employment.  It's what has made me most valuable to present and past employers, (and is what I enjoy doing the most).  

My only real concern at this point would be in finding another job within my purview, that wouldn't require me to relocate my family, should I not be able to continue working for my current employer.  In the current state of things, I'm not concerned - but often wonder if I should be.

[xiongxinwei]

On 8/3/2024 at 3:09 AM, Bryan said:

LabVIEW has been my forte throughout my quarter-century or so of employment.  It's what has made me most valuable to present and past employers, (and is what I enjoy doing the most).  

My only real concern at this point would be in finding another job within my purview, that wouldn't require me to relocate my family, should I not be able to continue working for my current employer.  In the current state of things, I'm not concerned - but often wonder if I should be.

Because of the globalization of trade, European and American companies to bring LabVIEW to China, in the past decade or so test equipment software are mainly developed using LabVIEW, but in recent years the situation is turbulent, reverse globalization, China's rising labor costs, resulting in a large number of European and American companies to withdraw from China, and at present NI's support is not good in China, resulting in many people do not look forward to the LabVIEW in the China's development.

 

 

[infinitenothing]

In the COVID supply chain shake up, we saw some of the dangers of being so dependent and locked into NI and the blackbox that is LabVIEW so we're trying to do more custom design on our own. I've been doing some cool stuff with Python and Verilog. One of my co-workers is doing more with micro-controllers.

[Rolf Kalbermatter]

On 8/2/2024 at 4:56 AM, mcduff said:

NI seems seems to be pushing solutions such as Flex Logger, Instrument Studio, etc, instead of LabVIEW. (Interestingly, those solutions look like they were built with NXG.  ) 

Not quite, they don't use NXG to create these application. NXG is truly and definitely dead. But they use the according C# frameworks and widget libraries they were creating for NXG.

[crossrulz]

1 hour ago, Rolf Kalbermatter said:

Not quite, they don't use NXG to create these application. NXG is truly and definitely dead. But they use the according C# frameworks and widget libraries they were creating for NXG.

To put in a little more detail...

For NI, NXG was way more than just a rewrite of LabVIEW.  NXG was a framework that all of their applications would use.  This is most obvious with the UI.  There is a full project just to manage the UI components: Fuse Design System

[LogMAN]

This was also mentioned in their blog post when they discontinued LabVIEW NXG: Our Commitment to LabVIEW as we Expand our Software Portfolio - NI Community

Quote

To build on the success of LabVIEW, we developed the NXG Platform which has enabled an entirely new set of offerings such as the NXG Web Module, SystemDesigner, FlexLogger, InstrumentStudio, VeriStand, and Digital Pattern Editor.