LabVIEW on Linux

[antony.g]

Just recently I was thinking of changing development platform from Windows to Linux. I really wanted to hear opinions from anyone that has used both the Windows (or Mac) versions plus the Linux version.

I don't require the use of TestStand as I have written my own test executive in LabVIEW.

I have just started a new contract and was given a Windows 10 laptop for development use. This laptop was configured by the IT department complete with anti-virus, USB use logging software etc. For the first week it was virtually useless, constantly installing Windows updates and performing virus checks, the hard drive light virtually never went out. It took me a day to install the LabVIEW development suite, and it has been performing very poorly, with lots of delays, freezes etc. After 2 weeks it is now a bit more stable, the hard drive has slowed, and Windows hasn't installed an update for a day or so. It is a quad-core I7 with 8GB of RAM so should perform OK.

How does this compare to LabVIEW on Linux? I have installed Linux on a number of machines before for use with iPerf, NFS, FTP etc. and have generally found it installs quick and is very stable, but I haven't tried LabVIEW. All of my instruments are either serial port or TCP/IP controlled.

Also, does anyone know if there are going to be Linux and Mac versions of LabVIEW NXG? Will LabVIEW for Linux and Mac be around in a few years?

[Bob_Schor]

I've been running LabVIEW on a Windows 10 computer and have no complaints about it.  Yes, a new Windows 10 installation (particularly if it is the "original" distribution) will have an interesting "update" routine that can take a little time to complete.  Yes, IT Departments that are concerned about the relatively serious threats to IP and to the loss of your private data have been trying to add hardware and software safeguards that make PCs a little slower and take some control (like Admin rights) away from end-users, but that's the world we are now inhabiting.

I've been running LabVIEW on Windows PCs and have not experienced the problems that you seem to be having, but then my systems are months, if not years, old, and therefore enjoy reasonable stability.  I can tell you that from the days that LabVIEW was distributed on DVDs, it took at least 4 DVDs to distribute LabVIEW for Windows, a single one to do it for Linux or Mac.  

Bob Schor

[antony.g]

The Windows 10 laptop I use for development is just a bit of a pain as it must be shut down and locked in a drawer at night, so it is hard to fit in all the updates, virus checks etc. whilst I am actually trying to use it for development.

I have worked for a couple of companies recently where most of the office machines are Mac, all of the software development machines are Linux and there are a few Windows PCs in production/test running LabVIEW. Some companies have asked me how well LabVIEW runs on Linux but so far I haven't had the chance to try it. Are National Instruments going to continue with LabVIEW on Linux, and will NXG or TestStand ever get ported to Linux or Mac?