I've spent over 20 years developing software that uses NI GPIB hardware. However, one constant annoyance is that I need to install drivers in order to use USB GPIB controllers.
We, as developers, already have enough challenges in todays world. Where we're being tasked with "multi-platform" apps. That could be Linux, macOS, Windows, and any number of portable devices, but quite frequently browser based (web).
GPIB has been around for many decades, yet NI has totally failed to produce a version that is usable without drivers. Why, in 2022, do you not yet have a USB GPIB hardware product that can be used as a serial (RS-232) device? I could make one myself with an Arduino. I'm sure you already know that Prologix has one, and it works wonderfully!
The problem NI injects is that we have to then deal with drivers being installed on the host system. We're constantly challenged with how to work around a problem you could have solved when you introduced a USB GPIB device. With Prologix I can use it directly in the browser with navigator.serial.
So, my question is, when are you going to stop forcing us to use your drivers, and allow developers to actually use one tiny bit of the hardware you produce without constant headaches?
Don't forget that I have spent decades programming against your hardware, and I've wondered about this exact same problem since you first introduced your USB version. You're not the only company that I'm frustrated at. Keysight is another big named brand that also thinks we should be forced to deal with proprietary drivers.
Until you provide a way to make our lives simple, I'm just going to recommend that everyone buys a Prologix controller. It's only limitation is that is doesn't do parallel, but who cares since I've hardly used that feature in 20 years anyway.
