Inkscape, when I want them to look really nice and am willing to put some time in to making them look the way I want.
I've also used kivio on occasion, and graphviz, and ploticus. Again, all depending on what I'm after.
Ask HN: What software for diagrams and flowcharts do you use?
21–30 of 62 posts
Re: Ask HN: What software for diagrams and flowcharts do you use?
#22Dia
Re: Ask HN: What software for diagrams and flowcharts do you use?
#23[deleted]
Re: Ask HN: What software for diagrams and flowcharts do you use?
#24A pencil and paper are the superior solution. When you get to show the results to others - just use whatever you are presenting the rest of the message with - almost all "office" type products have sufficient capacity to manage that part. The clever bit is the bit you do by yourself.
Nothing beats pencil and paper. We used to just scan hand-drawn diagrams and insert them into PowerPoint or wherever. Over the time this got accepted as the culture within the group.
Re: Ask HN: What software for diagrams and flowcharts do you use?
#25Lucid
Re: Ask HN: What software for diagrams and flowcharts do you use?
#26I use paper. derp.
Re: Ask HN: What software for diagrams and flowcharts do you use?
#27GraphViz:
http://www.graphviz.org/
Re: Ask HN: What software for diagrams and flowcharts do you use?
#28Gliffy. It's not perfect but it is quick and easy to get something decent looking. It also has reasonable integration with Confluence if you're using that internally.
Re: Ask HN: What software for diagrams and flowcharts do you use?
#29For the rare moment when I need create a diagram in a computer, I'll use PowerPoint. However, mostly it's just the whiteboard or pen+paper. I like the chance to not look at the screen and, for the former, getting out of my chair.
Re: Ask HN: What software for diagrams and flowcharts do you use?
#30I first use paper and pencil, but then I transcribe and keep it up to date electronically. http://lucidchart.com has been my favorite service as it is free for simpler projects and can be upgraded if you need more complexity. I've watched the project grow from an idea, to recruiting developers in my CS classes, to a full blown project which has exceeded my expectations. It's exciting to watch!
What's your process/toolchain for transcription and storage?