GDevCon NA 2025 Highlights

Innovation, Community, and the Future of LabVIEW Development

JKI's take on the standout moments from Chicago's premier LabVIEW conference

The LabVIEW community came together in full force last week as GDevCon North America 2025 concluded in Chicago, bringing together 150 developers for four days of technical excellence, networking, and innovation. As a company deeply invested in the LabVIEW ecosystem, JKI was thrilled to witness the energy and collaborative spirit that defines our community.

A Conference That Delivers on Its Promise

The GDevCon board continues to refine what has become the premier LabVIEW developer conference. The Chicago venue proved to be an excellent choice, with thoughtful touches like comfortable seating and individual microphones that enhanced the experience for all attendees. While some may miss the Golden, Colorado location, the new venue successfully accommodated the growing conference while maintaining the intimate, community-focused atmosphere that makes GDevCon special.

The conference showcased both established pillars of the LabVIEW community and fresh faces, creating a dynamic mix of experience and innovation. The four-day event fostered meaningful connections through both formal presentations and informal networking opportunities, demonstrating the collaborative spirit that defines the LabVIEW ecosystem.

NI's Renewed Community Engagement

One of the most encouraging aspects of this year's conference was NI's visible commitment to community engagement. Their active participation went beyond traditional sponsorship, with key staff members delivering impressive technical presentations and, more importantly, taking time to listen to developer feedback and challenges.

"It's encouraging to see NI and the community aligned as they advance toward the future," noted Josh Thibeault, Software Engineer at JKI, who attended the conference. This alignment between NI's roadmap and community needs bodes well for the platform's continued growth and innovation.

Technical Highlights That Matter

LabVIEW Scripting Deep Dive

Darren Nattenger's presentation on LabVIEW scripting stood out as a masterclass in advanced LabVIEW development. For developers looking to automate their development workflows or create more sophisticated applications, this session provided the kind of practical, actionable insights that attendees will reference for months to come. As Josh noted, this is content he'll "be sure to revisit frequently as I tackle any future scripting needs."

Understanding the LabVIEW Compiler

Greg Richardson's exploration of LabVIEW's compiler internals offered rare insight into the platform's underlying mechanisms. These deep technical sessions help developers write more efficient code and better understand the tools they use daily. The presentation provided much-needed insight into LabVIEW's compilation process, helping developers optimize their applications at a fundamental level.

Game-Changer: Open Source Autocomplete for LabVIEW

The conference's standout presentation came from Fadil Eledath of DMC, who introduced an open-source LabVIEW autocomplete feature that could revolutionize daily development workflows. This innovation addresses a long-standing gap between LabVIEW and text-based development environments.

"As a quick drop zealot, I loved the idea that a quick drop could be further refined and extended to be more useful. I rely on autocomplete with text-based languages and am excited to implement my own LabVIEW version using Fadil's GitHub project as a foundation," Josh shared about the presentation's impact.

What makes this development particularly exciting is its open-source nature, embodying GDevCon's mission of creating innovative LabVIEW content that's freely available to the entire community. The project is available on GitHub, allowing developers to contribute, customize, and extend the functionality to meet their specific needs.

The Power of Community-Driven Innovation

This autocomplete project perfectly exemplifies what makes the LabVIEW community special: developers identifying real pain points and creating practical solutions that benefit everyone. It's this spirit of collaboration and open innovation that continues to drive the platform forward, often filling gaps before official solutions emerge.

Looking Ahead

GDevCon NA 2025 left attendees energized about LabVIEW's future. The combination of strong technical content, meaningful community connections, and innovative open-source projects like the autocomplete feature demonstrates that the LabVIEW ecosystem remains vibrant and forward-thinking. As Josh reflected after the conference, "I left feeling invigorated and excited for the future of LabVIEW and I look forward to next year's GDEV con."

As a Gold Sponsor of GDevCon NA 2025, JKI was proud to support an event that truly showcases the best of the LabVIEW community. Events like GDevCon reinforce why we're passionate about supporting the LabVIEW ecosystem. The creativity, technical expertise, and collaborative spirit on display remind us why this platform continues to be an excellent choice for developers tackling complex engineering challenges.

As we look toward GDevCon NA 2026, we're excited to see how the innovations showcased this year will evolve and what new breakthroughs the community will bring to the table.

JKI was a Gold Sponsor of GDevCon NA 2025 and is a proud, longtime supporter of the LabVIEW community and regular participant in GDevCon events. Learn more about our LabVIEW tools and services at jki.net.