Commercial software

Commercial software for electrophysiological data acquisition is a major source of inspiration, both in terms of what we want to replicate, and what we want to avoid.

We're most familiar with Neuralynx's Cheetah and Plexon's Recorder software.

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Here are some things we like, which we'll try our best to incorporate into the GUI:

• Displays that differentiate channels by color (Neuralynx)
• Minimalistic visualizations with very little wasted space between channels (Neuralynx)

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Here are some things we don't like, which will hopefully never be part of the GUI:

• Software that only runs on Windows (Cheetah + Plexon)
• Time series plots that scroll to the left, rather than updating like a typical oscilloscope (Plexon)
• Text-based configuration files which are nearly impossible for new users to parse (Neuralynx)
• A never-ending stream of error messages if the hardware is accidentally turned off or unplugged (Neuralynx). The software should realize what is wrong and gently remind the user to correct it.
• Hiding crucial settings (such as checkboxes to invert the input or stream the raw data to disk) deep within the interface (Neuralynx)
• Creating new data directories on startup, rather than at the start of recording (Neuralynx); at the very least, unused data directories should be deleted.
• Distributing important UI modules across multiple windows, which are easily hidden on small displays (Neuralynx).

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