GDevCon #5: A Graphical Programming Extravaganza in Stuttgart
The fifth edition of GDevCon, the Independent Graphical Programming Conference, took place in Stuttgart, Germany, from September 11-13, 2024. It was a resounding success again, bringing together graphical developers from around the world for three days of learning, networking, and collaboration.
Conference Overview
GDevCon #5 was held at the Kultur- und Kongresszentrum Liederhalle in Stuttgart, offering attendees a mix of technical presentations, seminars, and networking opportunities. The conference, organized by leaders in the LabVIEW™ community, focused on delivering world-class graphical programming content relevant to today's developers.
Highlights and Experiences
Keynote and Opening
The conference kicked off with an inspiring keynote by Joerg Hampel, who welcomed attendees and set the tone for the exciting days ahead. Joerg reviewed the history of NI, LabVIEW, and GDevCon, expressing optimism about the future of LabVIEW despite past challenges.
Technical Sessions
Attendees were treated to a diverse range of technical presentations covering various topics such as LabVIEW Errors, Arrays and Strings, and Determinism & Memory Allocations in LabVIEW as well as topics on good software engineering practices and open source.
One highlight for me was Fabiola De la Cueva’s non-technical presentation that also shed some light on her absence from the community the last couple of years. We missed you Fab, great to have you back!
And then there was ‘Lab it Out’, the AI-generated song at the end of Mark Randel’s excellent presentation, hilarious. 😉
Speaking about AI: I was genuinely surprised that, apart from one huddle on the topic, there were no presentations that delved into AI (except for a few generated images here and there). No updates from NI either regarding their progress in AI-assisted programming in LabVIEW.
In fact, during one of NI's presentations, maybe more than 80% of the audience indicated that they find all the other developments on the LabVIEW roadmap more important than AI development. 🤔 What does this actually say? That we don't care if NI allows LabVIEW to fall further behind other programming environments when it comes to AI support, or that the development of the other parts of the roadmap has been drastically under-prioritized in recent years? I really hope NI will not cut development on AI in favour of other important parts on the roadmap and keep the focus on all stuff that’s important, and that includes AI development.
Luckily it was also talked about that the LabVIEW dev-team has been and is still being scaled up, so🤞.
You can check out videos of all the presentations as soon as they are posted on the GDevCon Youtube channel.
Huddles and Networking
After the general presentations, from 14.00h the conference featured engaging huddle sessions, providing opportunities for in-depth discussions and knowledge sharing on various sometimes ad-hoc sessions. A really nice concept.
Tech Cave
The Tech Cave, a technology exhibit area in the foyer, provided easy access for attendees to engage with sponsors and connect with fellow developers. This year's exhibitors included Pickering Interfaces, GI Systems, Farnell, Beckhoff, and Konrad Technologies.
Social Events
Of course it wasn't all work and no play. The first evening featured a social event at Sophie's Brauhaus, where attendees enjoyed local cuisine and drinks in a traditional setting. These social gatherings provided valuable opportunities for networking and building connections within the LabVIEW community.
Community Spirit
One of the most praised aspects of GDevCon is its strong sense of community. Attendees appreciate the collaborative atmosphere and the opportunity to connect with peers from around the world. The conference's independence from system vendors allows for open and honest discussions about real-world challenges faced by graphical developers.
Looking Ahead
As GDevCon #5 came to a close, attendees left feeling inspired and motivated. The conference successfully showcased the vibrancy and innovation within the graphical programming community. With plans already in motion for next year's event, which will return to the UK, the future of GDevCon looks bright.
