/prog/ - Beyond UML

Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 11:15

For example, in the 1990s a group of respected software designers combined forces to create a graphical notation for computer programs called the Unified Modeling Language (UML), which was intended to fill the role of blueprints and circuit diagrams in civil and electrical engineering. Despite a great deal of hype, UML never really caught on: Almost everyone who earns a degree in computer science learns about UML at some point, but very few programmers use it voluntarily (although some are obliged to use it in order to satisfy the terms of government procurement contracts).

In 2007, Mario Cherubini, Gina Venolia, Rob DeLine and Andrew Ko studied what kinds of diagrams programmers actually draw and why they draw them. They found that in almost all cases, programmers’ sketches were transient in nature; they were meant to be aids to conversation rather than archival documentation. They also found that the cost of turning hastily drawn whiteboard doodles into formal instructions was greater than the value of the diagrams to the programmers who were creating them. Companies selling UML drawing tools ignore this awkward result, but we are hopeful that a younger generation of software designers will incorporate into their work both findings like these and the research methods behind them.

/prog/, what kind of modeling tools (if any) do you use?
Do you find them useful?

What do you use them for?

Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 11:17

/prog/, what kind of modeling tools (if any) do you use?
Emacs text mode. I write a document describing the general architecture of the program.

Name: FrozenVoid 2011-10-20 11:22

The concept of "modeling software" is alien to me(sounds like Enterprise Design Patterns), i just write the code down, with comments. I write all the useful functions into void.h or its language equivalent for quick reusability.

Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 11:25

Modelling is retarded bullshit.

Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 11:25

Modelling is retarded bullshit.

Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 11:37

>>2
how, might i ask, do you write this down?
what degree of detail?

>>3
that's cool bro, but your successor will hate you when he dives into your files and there's no way to get a feel of the overall structure of the program (eg, suppose someone wants to make a small modification; the objective is often to get in, get it done and get out. he shouldn't have to examine O(N) files).

Name: FrozenVoid 2011-10-20 11:40

>>6
There only 2 files programname.c and void.h

Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 13:28

I use flowcharts for more convoluted algorithms.

Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 13:57

Modelling helps if you do it inmediately after brainstorming.

Also, it helps for explaining the shit to other people.

But no one should spend too much time in making a diagram. Bizagi is a great tool for that because you don't have to be pedantic or detailed.

Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 14:00

>>4

It is for small, shitty programs you write. When you're one of the 1000 people that work on a certain codebase, without modeling you're plain fucked. Yes, it's possible, but modeling makes shit easier if you don't overdo it.

Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 15:15

UML is shit and should be considered harmful.

Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 16:01

Excrement is shit.

Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 17:06

I use a lot of modelling tools. Besides the various UML diagrams, I do data flow diagrams, system heirarchy charts, and entity relationship diagrams.

Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 19:50

I design at keyb quite often ... Writing important core parts first. I find myself doodling pointers and boxes if doing vicious pointer jiggery pokery for some mega data storage treelistarrayhash type thing...

I do sometimes put comments about functions or classes at top of file saying. Purpose and which parts of program might use it.

Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 20:35

If it ain't Lisp, it's crap.

Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 20:38

Americans invented Lisp, Forth and Smalltalk
Europeans invented Algol, Pascal and C++
Asians invented monkeycoding

Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 21:22

>>15
Lisp is shit.

Name: HAXUS THE GREAT 2011-10-20 22:45

>>16
Lisp, Forth and Smalltalk are shit

Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 23:26



 \

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this is how I model my code.

Name: Anonymous 2011-10-21 0:58

>>19
You're missing the curved descender/serif at the top.

Name: \ \ /\ / \ / \ 2011-10-21 4:00

/\
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/ \
/ \

Name: Anonymous 2011-10-21 4:28

^ \ /\ / \ / \,

Beyond UML

1 Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 11:15

2 Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 11:17

3 Name: FrozenVoid 2011-10-20 11:22

4 Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 11:25

5 Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 11:25

6 Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 11:37

7 Name: FrozenVoid 2011-10-20 11:40

8 Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 13:28

9 Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 13:57

10 Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 14:00

11 Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 15:15

12 Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 16:01

13 Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 17:06

14 Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 19:50

15 Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 20:35

16 Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 20:38

17 Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 21:22

18 Name: HAXUS THE GREAT 2011-10-20 22:45

19 Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 23:26

20 Name: Anonymous 2011-10-21 0:58

21 Name: \ \ /\ / \ / \ 2011-10-21 4:00

22 Name: Anonymous 2011-10-21 4:28

Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 11:15

Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 11:17

Name: FrozenVoid 2011-10-20 11:22

Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 11:25

Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 11:25

Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 11:37

Name: FrozenVoid 2011-10-20 11:40

Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 13:28

Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 13:57

Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 14:00

Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 15:15

Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 16:01

Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 17:06

Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 19:50

Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 20:35

Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 20:38

Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 21:22

Name: HAXUS THE GREAT 2011-10-20 22:45

Name: Anonymous 2011-10-20 23:26

Name: Anonymous 2011-10-21 0:58

Name: \ \ /\ / \ / \ 2011-10-21 4:00

Name: Anonymous 2011-10-21 4:28