last update 28 aug 98 / greg goebel / public domain / vwv_1_0
* This document gives the introduction notes for the initial VEE release in 1991.
* HP VEE is a new software technology that allows customers to lay out an organized approach to solving problems, then execute the solution. Customers can control instruments, gather data, analyze data, and display results without writing any code. Hewlett-Packard's Visual Engineering Environment is a product family built on next-generation "object-oriented" tools. HP VEE offers products for the engineer or technical professional who doesn't want to be a programmer. Simply put, HP VEE allows the typical engineer to do what they were hired for: concentrate on engineering, rather than on programming.
HP VEE consists of two separate products, targeted at two different markets.
HP VEE-Engine (E2100A) is designed for engineers, scientists and other technical professionals in the electrical engineering, mechanical engineering or general purpose scientific markets. HP VEE-Engine offers over 144 icons that the user simply places on the screen and connects with lines to produce a model of their problem. HP VEE-Engine allows for rapid prototyping of typical engineering problems, and because of the "typeless" envirnoment, the user doesn't have to understand typical programming rules, structures and syntax.
HP VEE-Test extends the functionality of HP VEE-Engine to allow for instrument control and data acquisition via HP-IB, RS-232 and GPIO. HP VEE-Test uses the same front panel drivers for HP instruments as HP ITG products. Currently there are over 130 instrument drivers, with more being added each month. If the driver does not exist for a particular instrument, VEE-Test has a simple-to-use direct I/O path. The following chart helps illustrate the differences between the two products:
+------------------------------ HP VEE-Test ------------------------------+ | | | +---------------- HP VEE-Engine ---------------+ | | | +--------------------------+------------------+------------+--------------+ | Bus IO | Generated | Analysis | Displays | | Instrument IO | Data | | | +--------------------------+------------------+------------+--------------+ | 170 instrument drivers | formula boxes | 144 math & | X-Y | | direct IO | virtual sources | analysis | waveforms | | HPIB bus logger | constants | functions | VU meters | | HP BASIC/UX access | to / from file | | strip chart | | | escapes to HP-UX | | alpha | +--------------------------+------------------+------------+--------------+HP VEE-Test is ideal for RMB customers who need to migrate to a "next- generation" tool. Some key customers' profiles for either VEE-Engine or VEE-Test are:
* In today's competitive market, price and performance are not always enough to make the sale. Other things like ease-of-use, compatibility, ease-of-learning and standards will help complete the sale.
HP VEE addresses all of those four key areas:
Today, there are dozens of beta sites and HP divisions using HP VEE and finding the ease-of-use saving them days of time when compared with traditional problem-solving techniques. One customer in the Los Angeles area said they've seen between 10 to 30 times improvement over the typical methods.
HP VEE and VUE now allow engineers and scientists to have a "technical"/ networked / multi-tasking Macintosh-like environment. This ease-of-use coupled with hundreds of applications, makes a complete solution ony a mouse away!
* Both HP VEE products need at least 12 MB RAM for an X-based system (16 MB with VUE), and 5 MB disk for VEE-Engine and 12 MB for VEE-Test.