Ask HN: Do you still use UML? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Do you still use UML?

#111

Post by xaelis » Sat, Nov 05, 2016, 3:58 PM UTC

dmgrow wrote: post #76

scotu wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any tool in particular that you suggest to make diagrams? Or maybe just pen and paper? I tried StarUML 2 and it's ok but I found it slightly clunky (it also does not have a realtime collaboration feature as far as I know, that would be nice to have when your team is remote IMHO)

Try https://www.lucidchart.com . It is slick, has real-time collaboration, has UML (including via markup) and lots of other diagrams. Freemium that allows you to do most things.

Unfortunately lucidchart is only a drawing tool (no model validation, no documentation nor code generation). If you need both real-time collaboration and real UML tool, you should try https://www.genmymodel.com

Re: Ask HN: Do you still use UML?

#112

Post by pbhjpbhj » Sat, Nov 05, 2016, 4:02 PM UTC

agumonkey wrote: post #64

febeling wrote: post #50

I use boxes-and-arrows sketches a lot. The UML which was so popular around 2000 was this detailed quasi-standard graphical language. It was very centred around being correct, and diagrams being of a specific type of a number of permissible types, and so on. And that whole part I never found to be too helpful. It is useful to draw ideas as graphics for people who's brains are wired visually. And it can makes nice figu…

I use to argue with a friend about this, I was so fed up with all the UML mystique, I wanted to release CarréFleches 1.0 (french for boxes and arrows, with the appropriate lack of grammar to mock the fluff behind UML). Seems like everybody use the same "subset" that is graphs of things related to each others ... what a mystery.

OT: just realised where the word fletcher (an arrow-maker) comes from. In French does fleches refer always to the whole arrow? Just it sounds a bit like "flight" which is the layman's English term for the feathers.

Re: Ask HN: Do you still use UML?

#113

Post by Achshar » Sat, Nov 05, 2016, 4:02 PM UTC

I never got into it to begin with. But I did ended up using a form of few diagrams that I later learned were part of UML. They just come to anyone who's solving a problem naturally.

Re: Ask HN: Do you still use UML?

#114

Post by maxxxxx » Sat, Nov 05, 2016, 4:07 PM UTC

For a while I used UML but whenever I showed them to even experienced developers they didn't understand them. So I went back to simple box and arrows. Easier to understand and also easier to create and modify. Flow charts and state machine diagram usually work too.

I almost have a prejudice against people who use UML because a lot of them seem to be the "architect" types who talk about integration patterns and stuff but don't get much done.

Re: Ask HN: Do you still use UML?

#115

Post by double_entendre » Sat, Nov 05, 2016, 4:08 PM UTC

I haven't found a better activity diagramming tool than PlantUML with Vim's aklt/plantuml-syntax and using watch to automatically build the diagrams.

I challenge any of you to come up with something better.

Re: Ask HN: Do you still use UML?

#116

Post by double_entendre » Sat, Nov 05, 2016, 4:09 PM UTC

IshKebab wrote: post #107

je42 wrote: post #33

plantuml is nice. ;)

It is, but mainly for sequence diagrams, flow charts and state diagrams. I think OP is asking more about object/class diagrams which I've never seen much value in.

There's no evidence to think that at all. He's talking about diagramming for helpinator, which could very well include sequence diagrams, flow charts and state diagrams.

Biased a little?

Re: Ask HN: Do you still use UML?

#117

Post by wangchow » Sat, Nov 05, 2016, 4:10 PM UTC

I have used mostly the class diagrams and sequence diagrams.

I like how UML class diagrams defines the different potential relations between objects involved in software.

It would be nice if more people (myself included) learned better ways to consistently communicate software design. Lots of ad-hoc meetings result in confusion because often a design is scribbled in ones own notation then communication takes longer. But yet such communication is crucial to large projects.

Some call it architecture, others call it design patterns. Either way its important to have thought-out, standard ways to communicate ideas.

Re: Ask HN: Do you still use UML?

#118

Post by double_entendre » Sat, Nov 05, 2016, 4:10 PM UTC

yoz-y wrote: post #97

burnt1ce wrote: post #65

I like to draw UML every so often. Question to HN: What tools do you guys use to draw UML diagrams?

planUML changed my view on UML. The basic application is extremely ugly and the output is far from being good looking, but writing UML in plain text is extremely refreshing.

You mean PlantUML?

Re: Ask HN: Do you still use UML?

#119

Post by double_entendre » Sat, Nov 05, 2016, 4:11 PM UTC

steedsofwar wrote: post #93

In the last 16 years (i've worked at over 10 companies) i've only had one company use UML and it was only for an overview of the proposed architecture.

And is there a better tool for displaying "an overview of the proposed architecture"?

Re: Ask HN: Do you still use UML?

#120

Post by agumonkey » Sat, Nov 05, 2016, 4:12 PM UTC

pbhjpbhj wrote: post #112

agumonkey wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I use to argue with a friend about this, I was so fed up with all the UML mystique, I wanted to release CarréFleches 1.0 (french for boxes and arrows, with the appropriate lack of grammar to mock the fluff behind UML). Seems like everybody use the same "subset" that is graphs of things related to each others ... what a mystery.

OT: just realised where the word fletcher (an arrow-maker) comes from. In French does fleches refer always to the whole arrow? Just it sounds a bit like "flight" which is the layman's English term for the feathers.

Good one. I'd never question this one, because somehow it felt anglosaxon enough, but it seems so obvious. The anglo-french linguistic feedback loop is quite fun.