From Apple to Microsoft and back

When National Instruments introduced LabView in 1986, it ran on the Apple Macintosh only. Not until 1992 did LabView run on PCs with Windows 3.1. A year later, Paul Schreier, editor of Personal Engineering, equated NI to Microsoft. You can find a link to the original editorial “What can stop the steamroller,” at my post, “The steamroller rolls on.” Today, NI is looking more like Apple, at least with regard to LabView.NI has launched the LabView Tools Network, a forum that’s much like the iPhone App Store. At the Tools network, LabView programmers can upload their LabView applications and add-ons for others to download. When uploading an application, a developer can choose to make the application a free or paid download. A few of the 51 currently available apps include Intelligent Control Toolkit, Intelligent Control Toolkit, and CalVIEW Calibration Toolkit.