Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Compton
Of the twelve teams that won a division, ZERO of them used LabView as their programming code (there were 8 C++ and 4 Java.)
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I believe that the reason behind this is that these teams are simply more comfortable with C++ and/or Java. These teams are mostly older teams, so I'm willing to bet they have had plenty of experience with text-based languages. The mentors too (in most teams) likely have far more experience with text-based languages.
LabView certainly has it's advantages and disadvantages, but for teams and mentors who know C, C++ or Java and have been using it with robots (eg teams who were around with the IFI controllers and C), there needs to be a truly compelling reason to switch. I know a couple of teams in my area who have switched to or tried out Java because that is the language used on the AP computer science exam.
The number of teams who did/didn't use LabView at champs should be used as an indicator of how "good" or "bad" of a programming language it is, just as the number of teams at champs who use DeWalt tools shouldn't be an indicator of how good or bad DeWalt tools are. In the end, a programming language is just another tool used to accomplish a goal.
Disclaimer: I know you did not actually make any assertions based on your observation. I just wanted to throw this out there, as I noticed the same thing and have had time to think on it.