The DS1052E is LXI compatible and you can manipulate it with VISA librariues from NI. Alternatively to using LabView, Rigol makes their own application for communicating with their devices called UltraSigma. The programming commands can be found in the datasheet for your scope.
As for raw serial comminication, I can't see why it wouldn't work. There is a serial port on the device, and the hack, made popular on this website, to convert the DS1052E -> DS1102E was origonally done using a com terminal. Were you looking to connect the device from its RS232 port, or did you want a USB-to-serial type thing like what you'd get with a FTDI chip?