LabVIEW subscription model for 2022

[Worle]

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@beuvink wrote:

Also see this thread https://forums.ni.com/t5/LabVIEW/NI-s-move-to-subscription-software/m-p/4228589#M1227749

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I had seen that post, and I agree with the sentiment. It still doesn't tackle the issue of what would be a suitable alternative.

I can see the following options which tackles the issue of lack of developers whilst retaining rapid development cycles:

Desktop application/UI side:

- Python

- Java

- Web based where we have a small Linux box running a webserver built into our control panels

Control side:

- PLC (only slightly cheaper development environments and hardware, but from what I can see less flexible)

- Some other embedded controller which is probably going to have to be programmed in C/C++

The UI side I am fine with, and I am tempted to move to the web based interfaces regardless of whether we continue using NI hardware.

It is the embedded control side that is keeping me in the NI ecosystem at the moment...unless anyone can offer suitable alternatives from other manufacturers.

[Christophe_LV]

For us, we don't plan to completely stop using LabVIEW but hope we can scale down the number of licences in the future to make it viable.

We have a mix of licences which we have just frozen to perpetual that should keep us going for a while.

I really don't see any alternative to using LabVIEW FPGA and LabVIEW RT. 

In a few years, if needed, I am open to get a few licences on the subscription model to continue using RT and FPGA. 

For Windows applications, it is a different story and we are starting to experiment with Python.

[Konan__]

As regards Test Stand License, I have this question:

I freeze the LabVIEW and TestStand to the last version available before the subscription.

So I can forever make software with LV2020 and LV2021 and TestStand 2020.

As for pure LV software, I just need runtime, that is free forever.

But for TestStand I know I need to buy license for each deploy.

How does it work now??? can I still buy the licenses I need for the runtime sequences executions or will it sneak into forcing me to buy subscription???

In the last case I would drop TestStand 100%.

thanks

[rolfk]

Runtime licenses remain perpetual (for now). The day NI changes that too, would be really the definitive demise into insignificance.

[FBro]

NI will lose tons of users on this... I'm thinking how to migrate to other softwares right now. Python is definitely an option.

[psuedonym]

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@FBro wrote:

NI will lose tons of users on this... I'm thinking how to migrate to other softwares right now. Python is definitely an option.

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It is not trivial to become as "fluent" in Python as I am in LabVIEW.

I have a very difficult time understanding Python code. 

I don't know why since I come from a VB6 and C background.

[FBro]

I agree with you. But I can't think in Labview as a long term platform anymore. That's for sure.

[santo_13]

Though Python might be a viable programming language, there is a big learning curve to achieve everything you do with LabVIEW and for the TestStand equivalent, literally, nothing else exists off-the-self.

[WavePacket]

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@santo_13 wrote:

Though Python might be a viable programming language, there is a big learning curve to achieve everything you do with LabVIEW and for the TestStand equivalent, literally, nothing else exists off-the-self.

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The key question (to me, at-least) is how Python's learning curve compares to LabVIEW's learning curve and whether the delta between the learning curves justifies the huge recurring subscription that NI now demands.

[CyGa]

About TestStand, a new framework is being released and maintained as open-source project : OpenTAP.

It relies on C#.

It doesn't include all the functionnalities that TS provides today, but still provide a lot of options.

There are alternatives, sometimes not with the same quality as what NI provides. But much cheaper, and without the handcuffs delivered with the license.