[PLUG] UML users?

[Jeme A Brelin]

On Mon, 19 May 2003, Phil Tomson wrote:
> No, I'm not trying to trash it.  I'm trying to find out why people use it.
>
> For me it seems like a step in the wrong direction, but if I can
> understand why people choose to use it maybe I can understand why people
> want to go that way and then offer them alternatives ;-)  I really do
> think there might be better methodologies....

I think Rich's point is valid despite the "shove off" language.

You say that it seems like a step in the wrong direction before really
knowing much at all about it.  You assert counter-points to the individual
statements of those who use the system but you fail to take those
statements in aggregate appreciate the way the tool is used regadless of
how you might use it yourself.  You can't learn the usefulness of
something if you're just trying to find out how useless it is.

Now, I have never personally worked with UML and so I really have no
comment on its usefulness as tool for the programmer.  However, I have
seen PLENTY of bad code badly documented and I welcome anything that will
help describe the design of a program for future maintainers and
modifiers.  I think this is really a difference in philosophy more than a
difference in technology.  To me, the social aspects of how a thing is
done far supercede the efficiency or expedience of how a thing is done.
I personally believe that the purpose of work is to make the world a more
pleasant place.  The inconvenience of using a cumbersome tool (if, indeed,
that's what we've got here) in the design phase seems to be a way of
paying a small cost in pain up front for alleviating the long pains of
future developers who must work from your code.  Bad code never dies and a
little inconvenience today could prevent a lot of inconvenience in all of
our tomorrows.

J.
-- 
   -----------------
     Jeme A Brelin
    jeme at brelin.net
   -----------------
 [cc] counter-copyright
 http://www.openlaw.org