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  3. What tools do you use for designing software?

What tools do you use for designing software?

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  • D David Wulff

    I agree with that. I get through about half a dozen large bound pads every year with diagrams, notes, ideas, etc. It is so much easier (and more logicial IMO) to get a design worked out with pencil and paper and then translate it onto a computer than it is to think with a keyboard. But, amazingly, I have never had to sharpen my pencil in almost two years. I honestly do not know how that works, but it still writes with a good point. * * if anyone can shed some light on this mystery I would greatly appreciate it! And no it is not a Biro! :rolleyes: Where ideas need to be shared during design I fall back on whiteboards. I have a big one on the wall above my desk and two smaller ones (18x24 inches) that I keep behind my desk and hand out when something portable is needed. They give you the freedom and immediacy of paper with the convienience of an undo 'feature'.


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    Shog9 0
    wrote on last edited by
    #20

    David Wulff wrote:

    But, amazingly, I have never had to sharpen my pencil in almost two years. I honestly do not know how that works, but it still writes with a good point.

    Theories:

    • You aren't pressing hard enough...
    • You're using the eraser end. The sketches are all in your head...
    • You have a secret admirer, who thinks that pencil sharpening is the way to your good graces...
    • "Pencil gnomes" (call an exterminator, they spread disease...)
    • It's just a hard pencil. #2's generally wear fairly quickly, but if you don't mind lighter marks a harder lead will last longer.

    ----

    It appears that everybody is under the impression that I approve of the documentation. You probably also blame Ken Burns for supporting slavery.

    --Raymond Chen on MSDN

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    • A amymarie3

      When you already have your project figured out and you are at the stage where you need to start planning exactly how you are going to develop the software what tools do you find the most useful?

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      Shog9 0
      wrote on last edited by
      #21

      Paper and ink. For me, ink is key - if i'm able to easily edit my designs, i'll never stop revising them.

      ----

      It appears that everybody is under the impression that I approve of the documentation. You probably also blame Ken Burns for supporting slavery.

      --Raymond Chen on MSDN

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      • L Lost User

        I am a big fan of FreeMind[^] (warning: it is a Java app for those that are allergic to such things). I find it really useful for jotting down ideas.

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        El Corazon
        wrote on last edited by
        #22

        Rob Caldecott wrote:

        I am a big fan of FreeMind[^]

        same here. at least for the initial brain-storm. After that we do a cumbersome breakdown using UML that represents the exact same hierarchal structure, but someone else prefers it. :)

        _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)

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        • A amymarie3

          When you already have your project figured out and you are at the stage where you need to start planning exactly how you are going to develop the software what tools do you find the most useful?

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          Chris Maunder
          wrote on last edited by
          #23

          amymarie3 wrote:

          What tools do you use for designing software

          A large hammer.

          cheers, Chris Maunder

          CodeProject.com : C++ MVP

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          • C Chris Maunder

            amymarie3 wrote:

            What tools do you use for designing software

            A large hammer.

            cheers, Chris Maunder

            CodeProject.com : C++ MVP

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            Bassam Abdul Baki
            wrote on last edited by
            #24

            I thought you only used that for redesigning?


            "Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive." - Sir Walter Scott Web - Blog - RSS - Math - LinkedIn - BM

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            • A amymarie3

              When you already have your project figured out and you are at the stage where you need to start planning exactly how you are going to develop the software what tools do you find the most useful?

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              Eric Goedhart
              wrote on last edited by
              #25

              Hi, I use simple A3 drawing paper and a pen in combination with a plastic Flow Chart Symbols card. http://www.shoplet.com/office/limages2/STD977111_1_1_240.jpg[^]

              With friendly greetings,:) Eric Goedhart Interbritt

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              • M Member 96

                Our last major project we used Enterprise Architect, our next one I'm going to use pencil and paper. We started with EA and after development started we found it was just too time consuming to keep the model up to date and in the end irrelevant. In the project there are about 300 objects but there is only really about 15 completely different *types* so it was a lot of work for little gain since all I really needed to know to code it was to take a prototype of each type of object then copy, paste and modify as appropriate. I also learned over the course of the project the value of being super consistent with naming and types of properties for each object. In the end it's best to identify rough groupings of objects by type and the properties they will have in common then go from there. Paper (well word processor or simple database) is just easier all around.

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                Lost User
                wrote on last edited by
                #26

                John Cardinal wrote:

                we found it was just too time consuming to keep the model up to date

                Ya, I typically don't bother with that. I've found that EA will do just about everything and then some. Trouble is I don't need to do most of that stuff. I use it for the basic modeling stages like use cases, interaction and business rule stuff. I use it again for class design and database design - just the basics though. It's great for working out interactions and dependencies. After that, I print out big pictures of the models, dump out what I need and start making it work. I rarely go back and update anything unless there's some weird design issues I need resolve. Cheers, Drew.

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                • B Bassam Abdul Baki

                  I thought you only used that for redesigning?


                  "Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive." - Sir Walter Scott Web - Blog - RSS - Math - LinkedIn - BM

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                  Chris Maunder
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #27

                  Wait till you see what I use for debugging

                  cheers, Chris Maunder

                  CodeProject.com : C++ MVP

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                  • A amymarie3

                    When you already have your project figured out and you are at the stage where you need to start planning exactly how you are going to develop the software what tools do you find the most useful?

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                    Eric Lacroix
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #28

                    Humm, I got a Tablet PC using: Design: MindJet Mind Manager (Work with ink); OneNote; PowerPoint; Alias Sketch Book (One of the best Table PC application); Photoshop; Code: Enterprise Architect Visual Studio 2005. ....

                    (define Email (lambda () elacroix@devmesh.com)) Im not a church numeral im a free variable

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                    • C Chris Maunder

                      Wait till you see what I use for debugging

                      cheers, Chris Maunder

                      CodeProject.com : C++ MVP

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                      bryce
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #29

                      you debug? Bryce

                      --- To paraphrase Fred Dagg - the views expressed in this post are bloody good ones. --
                      Publitor, making Pubmed easy. http://www.sohocode.com/publitor

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                      • A amymarie3

                        When you already have your project figured out and you are at the stage where you need to start planning exactly how you are going to develop the software what tools do you find the most useful?

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                        DontSailBackwards
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #30

                        At the risk of getting lynched - MS One Note 2007. It's a handy & straightforward way for me to organise ideas. In the end it all depends on what works for the way you work.

                        It wasn't me, It was the Others. It was the Others, Not Me.

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                        • E El Corazon

                          Joergen Sigvardsson wrote:

                          The really real men gnaw their designs into the hides taken from yesterdays game!

                          hah! that is "old school" REALLY new real men redesign their own DNA and pass the code on to their children to write the designs for them! ;P (this has all the earmarks of an endless argument) :laugh:

                          _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)

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                          Mohammed Derbashi
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #31

                          Jeffry J. Brickley wrote:

                          real men redesign their own DNA and pass the code on to their children to write the designs for them!

                          That's a cool one! Imagen if it was true ;P

                          Thank you, M. Derbashi

                          "Don't tie yourself to your history, tie yourself to your Potential" - Steven R. Covey

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                          • A amymarie3

                            When you already have your project figured out and you are at the stage where you need to start planning exactly how you are going to develop the software what tools do you find the most useful?

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                            Jonas Hammarberg
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #32

                            Power of Mind... Yup, Lone Wolf McCode, that's my middle name.

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                            • E El Corazon

                              Joergen Sigvardsson wrote:

                              The really real men gnaw their designs into the hides taken from yesterdays game!

                              hah! that is "old school" REALLY new real men redesign their own DNA and pass the code on to their children to write the designs for them! ;P (this has all the earmarks of an endless argument) :laugh:

                              _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)

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                              peterchen
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #33

                              But they'd have to get laid for that :confused:


                              Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers, Velopers, Develprs, Developers!
                              We are a big screwed up dysfunctional psychotic happy family - some more screwed up, others more happy, but everybody's psychotic joint venture definition of CP
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                              • A amymarie3

                                When you already have your project figured out and you are at the stage where you need to start planning exactly how you are going to develop the software what tools do you find the most useful?

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                                Farrukh_5
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #34

                                Did any one noticed about Borland's new products especially towards project requirements and analysis? http://www.borland.com/us/solutions/requirements-definition-management/requirements-definition.html

                                --------------------------- Life is a game... with limited life line and unlimited power! http://www.idlsol.com

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                                • F Farrukh_5

                                  Did any one noticed about Borland's new products especially towards project requirements and analysis? http://www.borland.com/us/solutions/requirements-definition-management/requirements-definition.html

                                  --------------------------- Life is a game... with limited life line and unlimited power! http://www.idlsol.com

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                                  Farrukh_5
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #35

                                  Also an online drawing tool http://www.gliffy.com/

                                  --------------------------- Life is a game... with limited life line and unlimited power! http://www.idlsol.com

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                                  • L Lost User

                                    Enterprise Architect. Cheers, Drew.

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                                    Mark_Wallace
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #36

                                    Drew Stainton wrote:

                                    Enterprise Architect.

                                    heh. I still use the old Select SSADM and Enterprise, because they're so small and fast (SSADM fits on a floppy disk, for crying out loud! Anyone remember what they were?)

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                                    • J Jorgen Sigvardsson

                                      What is this design that you speak of?

                                      -- They don't really want you to play "Freebird". They're just heckling you!

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                                      Mark_Wallace
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #37

                                      Joergen Sigvardsson wrote:

                                      What is this design that you speak of?

                                      It's the process that is usually followed when developers are two-thirds of the way through the build.

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                                      • A amymarie3

                                        When you already have your project figured out and you are at the stage where you need to start planning exactly how you are going to develop the software what tools do you find the most useful?

                                        A Offline
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                                        Anna Jayne Metcalfe
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #38

                                        Visio, NUnit and lots of coffee. :)

                                        Anna :rose: Linting the day away :cool: Anna's Place | Tears and Laughter "If mushy peas are the food of the devil, the stotty cake is the frisbee of God"

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                                        • M Mohammed Derbashi

                                          Jeffry J. Brickley wrote:

                                          real men redesign their own DNA and pass the code on to their children to write the designs for them!

                                          That's a cool one! Imagen if it was true ;P

                                          Thank you, M. Derbashi

                                          "Don't tie yourself to your history, tie yourself to your Potential" - Steven R. Covey

                                          G Offline
                                          G Offline
                                          Gary Wheeler
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #39

                                          It is. It's the design of the universe.


                                          Software Zen: delete this;

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