Event Driven Programming is withheld from LabVIEW Base.

[Orion HE]

Can anyone give me a good answer why?  Every other programming language in the world has Event Driven Programming (EDP) built in, even free languages.  So when all I wanted was to use LV as a graphical programming language, (hey, that's what the "G" in G-programming stands for) I was disappointed to find that in my undervalued LV Base I can't look for mouse movement, mouse enter, mouse leave, keyboard actions and countless other possibilities that would be standard fare in any other language, unless, I pay over 1200 dollars more for the Full development package.  I know I should have read up on it more before purchasing, and understood what I would be missing out on.  But how was I to know that the fundamental programming function of EDP would be considered on par with Data Acquisition and Signal Processing?  So basically in order to get a complete programming language, I need to spend more than twice the cost of the Base package just to receive the last key component.  And all this because the Evaluation of LV gives you near limitless possibilities, so a new LV programmer gets used to having these tools at his/her disposal, only to yank some of the most critical tools.  So after saying all this, I am pleading for an explanation.  Why isn't there at least some add-on module that would allow a user to install the withheld functionality of EDP to a Base Development package?  Surely making money is the goal of any business, and I won't claim bait and switch here, or any other wrong doing here.  But there is, in my opinion, a marketing misjudgment here.

-Orion Williams

[Wiebe@CARYA]

First, I fully agree with you.

I don't think any of the users here use the base version, since there aren't
much complaints about this...

As for an explanation, I think NI's goal is also to make money. They offer a
more advanced version, to also please people with low budget. But the cheap
version is kinda useless. Again, I agree with you that LabVIEW isn't
complete without event driven programming, and I also agree that it should
be in every LabVIEW version (like the picture control). LabVIEW is also one
of the very few languages that doesn't include the building of executables
in every version...

Note that other companies also do tricks like this. M$ has Visual Studio
Express version, that doesn't seem to be able to build activex components.
If you want that, you have to pay...

I think NI would be willing to upgrade your license, so you don't have to
buy a new full development license, but perhaps that's off topic.

Regards,

Wiebe.

[Orion HE]

Unfortunately to upgrade, it would cost me the difference between the base version and the full version.  What I think is in order is an add-on module that will give customers the functionality of EDP, without having to also pay for signal processing, which is clearly a more robust programming tool, that I don't need.  I am hoping to show NI that by withholding EDP from the base version with no upgrade option except paying for the full version, that their customers who come into LV at the base version are getting an undervalued version, and they know it, and that without at the very least, and add-on module for EDP, isolating smaller business and individuals.  I agree that signal processing, data acquisition and EDP are worth an extra 1300 dollars, but I don't agree that EDP on it's own is worth an extra 1300 dollars, but that's the only option that I have at this moment.  My suggestion is to create an add-on module that includes EDP and sell it for 300 dollars, since I know signal processing is a much more complex feature and is worth more of that upgrade price than EDP.  Of course all versions of LV should include EDP, so if that drives the price of LV base up, so be it.  Just don't let anyone else be fooled into thinking they are buying a Graphical Programming Language unless all the features of a programming language are included at all price points.  Can I get a witness?

[F._Schubert]

I would also recommend NI to inclued at least the event structure in the base packages (propably the advance dynamic user-event things can be left in the FDS).

Just one of the few points people told me way LabVIEW was not 'good': It has no event handling like any other language. I myself could live without (although I use it a lot), because a polling rate of 100 ms is not much on modern PCs. It is more important (for me as developer as well) to have good public opinion about LabVIEW.

The thoughts about event structure are closley related with the prejudice of LabVIEW being slow. And NI pumped a lot of effort in polishing that topic the last years.

Felix 

[Wiebe@CARYA]

I'd say: make the base version the complete language. And add toolkits and
addons to the full and professional versions. At the moment the base version
of LabVIEW isn't the full LabVIEW language.

Polling isn't enough to replace the event structure. We've build entire
applications around event structure, where they are also used to receive
events from other objects. The event structure is a very convenient way to
make a many-to-many system (many senders, many listeners). So it's not just
a gimmick or feature. Without it new users can't make desent programs, and
would get a wrong impression about the language.

[BADVI]

Hey!

  I was just thinking about upgrading from 7.?  to 8 and was considering the three versions base, full and whatever...

I saw the list of features and was very confused because I've been working with events...  at least I thought I was...

Then I went to a machine in another office with the base 8.2 installed and hey... NO EVENT STRUCTURES!  

Even the $100 student version of 7.0 had event structures.  There's very little reason for me to upgrade at this point - esp if it will cost me $2600!

REVOLT!

[Dennis_Knutson]

I don't quite understand your comments. If you are working with events in 7.1, then you have at least the full version of LabVIEW. If you needed the full version of 7.1 then you should not be considering the base version 8.6. Besides the event structure, the base version does not have any of the advanced analysis routines. The upgrade to 8.6 is worth the price. I also think your price is incorrect. when I just checked, it said the price to upgrade from 7.1 full to 8.6 full was $1249.

The student version of LabVIEW (7.x or 8.x) is either the full or professional version (i'm not sure which) with the addition of a watermark on the front panel and the prohibition of using it for commercial development. The concept, in my opinion, is to give the student a great programming tool in the hopes that it will translate into a sale when that student graduates and is working.