This is not directly a LabVIEW idea, but it is still an idea that impacts many LabVIEW programmers.
To keep my distribution small, I distribute my installers without run-time engine and instruct the users to download and install the relevant run-time engine. I provide a link to the run-time download page.
Note that these users are NOT NI customers and not interested in any NI products. They are my customers (well, my programs are free) and are only interested getting my programs to work on their PC. They don't even care what was used to develop the program. There is no extra hardware involved. If they already use NI hardware, chances are they already have a profile.
My users don't need a NI profile and don't need the follow-up phone call or e-mail from NI, etc.
Typical phone exchange yesterday:
me: "just click my installer and install the program"
him: "OK, done."
me: "now run it."
him: "OK, ...... error about 2013 run-time engine".
me: "OK, install the run-time engine using the link I sent you in the same e-mail".
him: "clicking the link to go to the run time engine page....
(..30 second discussion to decide between downloader and direct download...)"
him: "click..(wait for it!)... .it wants me to register..."
me: "OK, let's forget about that. come down to the lab and I will do it for you."
End result: more delays (it was late Friday and I was ready to leave), more work for me, more hassle.
While gazillions (:D) of registered users sounds good on paper for NI, these are false numbers because many profiles are one-time use and quickly forgotten.
I think downloading a run-time engine should NOT require a NI profile. Maybe it should still offer to log in or create a profile, but there should also be a bail-out option similar to "[] I don't want to register at this time, just download the run-time!".
Note that even better long term solutions have been proposed, but this idea could be implemented quickly and does not even need to involve any LabVIEW developers. 😄
You must be a registered user to add a comment. If you've already registered, sign in. Otherwise, register and sign in.
National Instruments will not be implementing this idea. NI has no plans at this time to change the policy requiring an ni.com profile for downloading the run-time engine. The current workaround is to create an installer for your LabVIEW executable that includes the installer for the appropriate LabVIEW run-time engine.