Graphical Development
In this regard LabVIEW differs from traditional programming languages like C, C++, or Java, in which you program with text. However, LabVIEW is much more than a programming language — it is an interactive program development and execution system designed for people, like scientists and engineers, who need to program as part of their jobs.
Using the powerful graphical programming language that many LabVIEW users affectionately call 'G' (for graphical), LabVIEW can increase productivity by orders of magnitude. Programs that take weeks or months to write using conventional programming languages can be completed in hours, because LabVIEW is specifically designed to take measurements, analyze data, and present results to the user.
Platforms & Libraries
The LabVIEW development environment works on computers running Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux. LabVIEW can create programs that run on those platforms as well as a variety of embedded platforms, including Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), and microprocessors.
LabVIEW contains application-specific libraries for data acquisition (DAQ), General Purpose Interface Bus (GPIB), serial instrument control, data analysis, data presentation, data storage, and communication over the Internet. The Analysis Library contains a multitude of useful functions, including signal generation, signal processing, filters, windows, statistics, regression, linear algebra, and array arithmetic.
