Skip to content
  • Categories
  • Recent
  • Tags
  • Popular
  • World
  • Users
  • Groups
Skins
  • Light
  • Cerulean
  • Cosmo
  • Flatly
  • Journal
  • Litera
  • Lumen
  • Lux
  • Materia
  • Minty
  • Morph
  • Pulse
  • Sandstone
  • Simplex
  • Sketchy
  • Spacelab
  • United
  • Yeti
  • Zephyr
  • Dark
  • Cyborg
  • Darkly
  • Quartz
  • Slate
  • Solar
  • Superhero
  • Vapor

  • Default (No Skin)
  • No Skin
Collapse
Code Project
  1. Home
  2. The Lounge
  3. What tools do you use for designing software?

What tools do you use for designing software?

Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved The Lounge
toolsquestion
63 Posts 42 Posters 2 Views 1 Watching
  • Oldest to Newest
  • Newest to Oldest
  • Most Votes
Reply
  • Reply as topic
Log in to reply
This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
  • 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?

    S Offline
    S Offline
    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

    1 Reply Last reply
    0
    • 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.

      E Offline
      E Offline
      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)

      1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • 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?

        C Offline
        C Offline
        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

        B 1 Reply Last reply
        0
        • C Chris Maunder

          amymarie3 wrote:

          What tools do you use for designing software

          A large hammer.

          cheers, Chris Maunder

          CodeProject.com : C++ MVP

          B Offline
          B Offline
          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

          C 1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • 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?

            E Offline
            E Offline
            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

            G 1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • 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.

              L Offline
              L Offline
              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.

              1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • 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

                C Offline
                C Offline
                Chris Maunder
                wrote on last edited by
                #27

                Wait till you see what I use for debugging

                cheers, Chris Maunder

                CodeProject.com : C++ MVP

                B B 2 Replies Last reply
                0
                • 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?

                  E Offline
                  E Offline
                  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

                  1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • C Chris Maunder

                    Wait till you see what I use for debugging

                    cheers, Chris Maunder

                    CodeProject.com : C++ MVP

                    B Offline
                    B Offline
                    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

                    Our kids books :The Snot Goblin, and Book 2 - the Snotgoblin and Fluff

                    1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • 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?

                      D Offline
                      D Offline
                      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.

                      1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • 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)

                        M Offline
                        M Offline
                        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

                        G 1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • 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?

                          J Offline
                          J Offline
                          Jonas Hammarberg
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #32

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

                          1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • 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)

                            P Offline
                            P Offline
                            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
                            Linkify!|Fold With Us!

                            E 1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • 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?

                              F Offline
                              F Offline
                              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

                              F 1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • 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

                                F Offline
                                F Offline
                                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

                                1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • L Lost User

                                  Enterprise Architect. Cheers, Drew.

                                  M Offline
                                  M Offline
                                  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?)

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • 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!

                                    M Offline
                                    M Offline
                                    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.

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • 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
                                      A Offline
                                      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"

                                      1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • 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;

                                        1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • E Eric Goedhart

                                          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

                                          G Offline
                                          G Offline
                                          Gary Wheeler
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #40

                                          Oh man, that brings back memories. I have one of those that I used the first couple of years of college. I've even still got a couple of pads of 80-column card layout paper :-O.


                                          Software Zen: delete this;

                                          1 Reply Last reply
                                          0
                                          Reply
                                          • Reply as topic
                                          Log in to reply
                                          • Oldest to Newest
                                          • Newest to Oldest
                                          • Most Votes


                                          • Login

                                          • Don't have an account? Register

                                          • Login or register to search.
                                          • First post
                                            Last post
                                          0
                                          • Categories
                                          • Recent
                                          • Tags
                                          • Popular
                                          • World
                                          • Users
                                          • Groups