Catering To the C Programmer for Instrumentation 

New Instrumentation Software Delivers Advanced Development Tools and
Utilities Previously Found Only in Professional Application Development
Packages

Within the last five years, the instrumentation market has seen the
stronghold of the BASIC programming language weaken and shift toward C.
Several recent industry surveys have documented this growing acceptance of
C programming - for the first time C is the preferred language of
engineers over BASIC! How has this commitment to C for instrumentation
evolved, and how are instrumentation vendors responding to this change in
user programming preferences?

One explanation for the surge in C popularity is pure demographics - the
continuing influx of engineering graduates trained in C programming is
steering the instrumentation market more firmly toward it. Another is that
engineers and scientists can take advantage of the vast array of tools and
development aids for C programming that doesn't exist for other languages.
For example, source code control, a standard feature of the C language, is
of particular importance to programmers, especially those working on large
test or data acquisition (DAQ) systems consisting of hundreds of software
modules.

As engineers move away from the high-end, dedicated test systems toward
build-it-yourself PC and workstation-based systems, flexibility and
integration become vital for successful instrumentation system
development. In these cases, nonproprietary languages such as C are
attractive to system integrators who prefer a flexible, open architecture
for their software development environment. The C language is a well known
standard that excels in combining several software modules and components
for building an application.

Addressing Changing User Needs 

A large number of BASIC and C instrumentation programmers have successfully
met their PC programming requirements since early 1988 by using the
National Instruments DOS-based LabWindows automatic code-generation
software. Although this popular software has satisfied thousands of users,
several years of customer feedback have uncovered potential areas for
improvement. Because the DOS-based LabWindows also caters to BASIC
programmers, a number of language tradeoffs were made to include both the
C and BASIC languages within its programming environment. Many C
programmers find the development tools within LabWindows for DOS
attractive, but must eventually leave the environment and use the
software's libraries with their own compiler and linker to access the full
C language. Although the flexibility of the these stand-alone libraries
provides a functional alternative, most users would prefer to have the
full language within the software's environment.

Platform preference is also a concern. DOS users of LabWindows run into
operating system performance and memory limitations, causing a growing
number of engineers and scientists to look toward Microsoft Windows.
Windows offers a powerful upgrade to the huge installed base of PCs - upon
which many companies are standardizing. UNIX is another popular
alternative to DOS and Windows. Many other companies are moving toward a
concurrent engineering development model, in which design and prototyping
work is more tightly linked with manufacturing and testing efforts. These
customers want to use their high-performance Sun workstations to acquire
data for production test, in addition to the design and analysis tools
already popular for the Sun.

LabWindows/CVI Overcomes Current Limitations 

In response to the increasing acceptance of the C programming language, the
overwhelming popularity of the Windows operating system, and the need for
instrumentation software for UNIX-based workstations from Sun Microsystems
Computer Corporation, National Instruments introduces LabWindows/CVI (C
for Virtual Instrumentation), a multiplatform software product designed
for C programmers developing instrumentation applications. LabWindows/CVI
builds upon the proven programming methodology and tools provided by the
DOS-based LabWindows, while removing its limitations and expanding on the
platforms and operating systems offered.

LabWindows/CVI is a development environment for building test and
measurement and data acquisition applications using the ANSI C standard
programming language and running them under the Microsoft Windows or Sun
Solaris operating systems. The software includes libraries for controlling
IEEE 488, RS-232, and VXIbus instruments, and plug-in DAQ boards. The
Advanced Analysis Library includes over 200 functions for signal
processing, filtering, windowing, statistics, curve fitting,
interpolation, and matrix algebra. LabWindows/CVI includes an advanced
User Interface Editor for building custom graphics displays for
controlling and displaying program results.

The LabWindows/CVI development environment is virtually identical between
Windows and Sun, so users can develop multiplatform applications. The
LabWindows/CVI development environment includes all of the tools required
to build ANSI C compatible Windows or UNIX-based applications. Features
include:

* Integrated ANSI C-compatible development environment with built-in
libraries for data acquisition, analysis, and presentation

* User Interface Editor for designing and controlling extensive graphical
user interfaces (GUIs) quickly and easily

* Over 300 ready-to-use GPIB, VXI, and RS-232 instrument drivers

* Fully integrated, ANSI C compiler, linker, debugger, variable trace
display, and memory checking capabilities

* Open system for integration with ANSI C source files, object modules, C
libraries, and dynamic link libraries (DLLs)

* Multiplatform application development capabilities

* Interapplication communication through TCP/IP and dynamic data exchange
(DDE)

LabWindows/CVI also provides a smooth upgrade path from DOS to Microsoft
Windows and Sun Solaris for the thousands of existing DOS users of
LabWindows who have developed instrumentation applications. These
developers can convert their applications to run on Windows or Sun Solaris
with little or no modification using translation utilities available in
LabWindows/CVI.

How LabWindows/CVI Fits Into the National Instruments Software Strategy 

The National Instruments software strategy is based upon a commitment to
deliver multiplatform instrumentation programming tools that match the
needs of different types of users. This commitment began with driver-level
software for GPIB, VXI, and DAQ hardware and has been extended to its
application development software - LabVIEW, LabWindows for DOS, and now
LabWindows/CVI.

Why these different software products? The company found that for a
software product to satisfy a customer, it had to not only serve the
customer's functional needs (such as providing tools for data acquisition,
analysis, and presentation), but also to appeal to the customer's
programming and computer preferences and expertise. It is unrealistic to
expect one package to work for everyone.

The driving force behind the company's decision to develop both LabWindows
software for DOS and LabVIEW was the existence of a range of customer
preferences and programming experience levels - some users knew how to
program in C, some in BASIC, and some didn't program at all. Although
LabWindows for DOS and LabVIEW meet the same basic user needs both are
software development systems for building test and measurement or data
acquisition and control applications - they differ in programming
methodology. DOS-based LabWindows caters to the customer who prefers to
program on a PC using C or BASIC, while LabVIEW is a graphical (iconic)
programming environment that many novice programmers find faster and
easier to learn than standard text-based languages.

In addition to programming methodology, customers have strong preferences
as to which computing platforms and operating systems are appropriate for
their applications. Hence, application software products must run on a
variety of operating systems and computer platforms to be accepted by a
large percentage of the market. Although both LabWindows for DOS and
LabVIEW have been very successful, neither matches the profile of an
emerging class of instrumentation user - the Windows or UNIX-based C
programmer.

LabWindows/CVI fulfills this need. LabWindows/CVI delivers programming
tools for the C programmer within a cohesive, easy-to-use application
development environment. LabWindows/CVI overcomes the language and
platform limitations of the existing DOS-based LabWindows product, while
expanding on the GUI capabilities and code development and debugging tools
for the C programmer. The result is a fully integrated development
environment that any C programmer, from novice to expert, can benefit from
when developing instrumentation applications.

Availability and How to Get More Information 

The Windows version of LabWindows/CVI will be available from National
Instruments in November. LabWindows/CVI for Sun will be available from
National Instruments in December. For additional details, see the press
release and other product background information in this press kit.

For more information, please contact National Instruments at 6504 Bridge
Point Parkway, Austin, TX 78730-5039, (512) 794-0100. Call toll free at
(800) 433-3488. Fax: (512) 794-8411.

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