User Productivity Key to New Version 4.0 Upgrades of LabVIEW and
LabWindows/CVI Virtual Instrumentation Software

AUSTIN, TEXAS -- FEB. 1, 1996 -- National Instruments - The Virtual
Instrumentation Company - announced today major upgrades of the company's
award-winning LabVIEW graphical programming software and LabWindows/CVI
visual development software for virtual instrumentation. Established as
two leading instrumentation software packages, LabVIEW and LabWindows/CVI
can now be used together to build virtual instruments, combining the best
of graphical and C programming within a single system. In addition to
working together, both products add new productivity, connectivity, and
customization tools to extend them further into the many vertical markets
they serve. Both LabVIEW 4.0 and LabWindows/CVI 4.0 introduce tools
designed for higher productivity for end-users, system integrators, and
corporate developers.

LabVIEW 4.0 features the new FlexVIEW customizable development environment
with which users can create their own workspace to match their industry,
experience level, and development habits. In addition, LabVIEW 4.0 adds
high-power editing and debugging tools for building advanced
instrumentation systems. To integrate LabVIEW graphical programs with
external software environments, LabVIEW Version 4.0 features OLE-based
connectivity and distributed execution tools.

LabWindows/CVI 4.0 extends the complete collection of LabWindows/CVI user
interface tools, instrument drivers, analysis routines, and I/O libraries
to users of standard C/C++ development tools from Microsoft, Borland,
Symantec, and WATCOM. Additionally, LabWindows/CVI adds new SmartCode
visual development tools to streamline C code development. Both LabVIEW
and LabWindows/CVI are now shipped with CodeLink - a new connectivity tool
for integrating standard C code developed in LabWindows/CVI into the
LabVIEW graphical programming environment. In addition to existing
platforms, both products now feature native 32-bit versions for Windows 95
and Windows NT.

ABOUT LABVIEW VERSION 4.0

FlexVIEW User Interface - Designed for You!

LabVIEW 4.0 features the new FlexVIEW user interface, with which users can
customize their development tools to fit their work style. Users can place
new floating palettes containing editing and debugging tools, controls,
and functions anywhere in the work area. Users can easily customize these
floating palettes to group items together, hide objects not needed, and
add custom controls and functions - giving them easy access to all the
tools they regularly use. Users can define their own controls and
functions palettes, customizing their workspace. To make editing and
debugging even easier, the FlexVIEW interface provides tip strips and
easy-to-access help information to explain each tool and function.

New Tools for Editing and Debugging - Designed for You!

LabVIEW, a graphical programming environment, now gives users new tools to
build and debug virtual instruments (VIs) in a fraction of the time it
took with previous versions. Wiring guides display wire stubs, data types,
and terminal information so users can quickly connect modules together. By
clicking on any block diagram module, users can automatically create front
panel objects and wire them into their program correctly with a single
mouse click. Using the "Create SubVI from Selection" utility, users can
select portions of any block diagram and instantly create and insert
reusable software objects, or subVIs. To quickly debug VIs, users can
easily place breakpoints and data probes at any location on the VI
diagram. Users can also pause VIs and single step into, over, and out of
subVIs and sections of code. To analyze and optimize system performance,
the LabVIEW 4.0 Profiler measures and records the execution time and
memory use of all modules in an application.

Application Connectivity Tools - Designed for You!

For users wanting to call DLLs directly, the new CodeLink converts
LabWindows/CVI function panels and dynamic link libraries (DLLs) into
LabVIEW VIs. Thus, LabVIEW users can now take advantage of the interactive
C environment of LabWindows/CVI to design and integrate DLLs into LabVIEW.
In LabVIEW Version 4.0 for Windows 95, users can now easily take advantage
of OLE technology using the OLE Automation VIs to communicate with other
OLE-aware Windows applications, such as Excel, Visual Basic, and Visual
C/C++. Using these VIs, users can launch applications, load files, send
and receive data, and integrate their LabVIEW applications into
sophisticated systems. And, using the remote automation tools in LabVIEW
4.0, users can now execute LabVIEW VIs remotely across a network. To
create a distributed application over several computers, a master LabVIEW
application on one computer can control other slave applications running
elsewhere on the network.

New Analysis Tools - Designed for You!

LabVIEW Version 4.0 features more than 30 new analysis VIs for control,
linear algebra, peak detection, and two-dimensional FFT applications. To
quickly solve analysis problems, users can run a collection of new,
ready-to-run analysis instruments. These new analysis instruments improve
user productivity by providing a user interface to solve curve fitting,
statistics, interpolation, and system of equations problems.

LabVIEW Customized for Worldwide Markets

Scientists and engineers around the world are building virtual instruments
with LabVIEW. LabVIEW 4.0 introduces a localized Japanese version with
translated software, online help, and printed documentation. In addition,
French and German documentation options are available with LabVIEW 4.0.

ABOUT LABWINDOWS/CVI 4.0

Open C/C++ Development Environment for Virtual Instrumentation
LabWindows/CVI, an integrated visual development environment for
scientists and engineers building virtual instruments, now delivers its
entire suite of instrumentation libraries and utilities for use within all
major 32-bit C/C++ development environments under Windows 95 and Windows
NT. In LabWindows/CVI 4.0, the complete collection of instrument drivers,
I/O libraries, user interface tools, and analysis routines are packaged
for use in Microsoft Visual C++, Borland C++, Symantec C++, and WATCOM
C/C++ under Windows 95 and Windows NT. User- developed C code is cross
compatible between the LabWindows/CVI programming environment and these
C/C++ programming tools. Now, with Version 4.0, organizations that have
standardized on these general- purpose C tools or those moving to C++, can
take advantage of the LabWindows/CVI instrumentation tools. In addition,
LabWindows/CVI 4.0 adds the ability to automatically generate 32-bit
Windows DLLs, enabling system developers to standardize on LabWindows/CVI
as the development environment for building instrumentation components for
use throughout their organization.

SmartCode Visual Development Tools

In addition to expanding the LabWindows/CVI instrumentation tools to work
with external C/C++ environments, Version 4.0 introduces SmartCode visual
editing tools to the LabWindows/CVI integrated development environment.
SmartCode streamlines source code development efforts with a collection of
editing shortcuts, code-generation utilities, and code display mechanisms
to improve user productivity. SmartCode features include source code
syntax coloring to make code easier to read and understand, context menus
accessible by right clicking anywhere in the source window, quick look-up
wizards to access user- defined variables and constants for code
generation, and jump shortcuts between source code and user interface
objects for quick reference.

Tools for Developing Advanced Test Applications

Established as the premier instrument driver development tool through the
efforts of the VXIplug&play Systems Alliance, LabWindows/CVI 4.0 adds new
power and flexibility for performing low-level PC operations for advanced
test and measurement systems. In Version 4.0, LabWindows/CVI users can
drill down to access hardware through physical memory or port I/O
routines. In addition, the new version includes templates and example code
to help users create hardware interrupt handlers in Windows 95 and Windows
NT. Also, users can call Windows SDK system functions directly from
LabWindows/CVI for those applications that require lower-level control of
the operating system. For user interface development, the new Canvas
control is a general-purpose drawing port designed for high-speed image
manipulation or custom drawing applications.

CODELINK - LABVIEW AND LABWINDOWS/CVI WORKING TOGETHER

LabVIEW and LabWindows/CVI users now can leverage off their investment in
graphical and C programming through the new CodeLink integration utility.
CodeLink automatically builds LabVIEW VIs to integrate C libraries created
in LabWindows/CVI. LabVIEW users can easily incorporate low-level
operations or legacy C source code directly into their block diagrams,
while LabWindows/CVI users can incorporate the high-speed prototyping
benefits of graphical programming into their projects. For example, with
CodeLink, LabVIEW can easily call VXIplug&play instrument drivers
developed in LabWindows/CVI.

ABOUT NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS

National Instruments, headquartered in Austin, Texas, manufactures software
and hardware products for PCs and workstations that scientists and
engineers worldwide use to build virtual instrumentation systems. These
systems are used for research and industrial applications, such as
automated testing, laboratory automation, advanced research, industrial
control, factory automation, physiological monitoring, numerical analysis,
and data visualization.

National Instruments stock is traded on the NASDAQ National Market System
under the symbol NATI. Further information on National Instruments may be
obtained from the company's SEC filings or by directly contacting the
company's Investor Relations Department at (512) 349-5090.

AVAILABILITY AND FOR MORE INFORMATION

LabVIEW Version 4.0 will be available on all platforms in Q1 1996.
LabWindows/CVI Version 4.0 will be available on all platforms in Q2 1996.
For more information about Version 4.0 of LabVIEW or LabWindows/CVI,
please refer to the LabVIEW 4.0 Reviewer's Guide or the LabWindows/CVI 4.0
Reviewer's Guide. Or, contact:

National Instruments
6504 Bridge Point Parkway
Austin, Texas 78730-5039
(512) 794-0100

Or call toll free in the U.S. and Canada at (800) 433-3488, fax (512)
794-8411, e-mail info@natinst.com. Readers can also access information
through the company's InstrumentationWeb at http://www.natinst.com/

EDITOR CONTACT:
Tad Druart
National Instruments
(512) 794-5662

READER CONTACT:
Jerry Rodriguez
National Instruments
(512) 794-0100
 
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