UML anyone acually use it?

Certainly, I used to have list of tools in the Software Engineering FAQ but it got wiped and I haven't fix it yet :/

A favorite around here is Enterprise Architect.

Rational Rose is one of popular ones, but don't personally like it.

Microsoft makes a special version of Visio with UML extentions that works with the Architect edition of MSVC.

There's a bunch more that I'm forgetting...

I think UML is very handy, but I don't use it. Not for the simple programs I write, anyway. If you were doing a large-scale project, where you'd have like, a hundred classes or so, or say for an rpg game, then UML would be wise to use to keep track of all that.

Enterprise architect is excellent. I own the professional version and use it to visualise more complex architectures (like the flatfile database engine I created last year).
For simple things with only a few classes it's usually overkill though.

I don't at this stage use the entire UML, but mainly use cases, sequence diagrams, and class diagrams.

I found Objecteering rather good. There is a free community edition. A quick search on google might give you other results (visual paradigm, Borland Together, and so on).

HTH,

Quote:

Original post by jwenting Enterprise architect is excellent.

The UI has too many quirks for me to ever rate it as "excellent".

After using several competing products you may change your opinion.
It's a breath of fresh air after those ;)

Tried Objecteering, tried VP, tried Together, tried ArgoUML, tried several others.
Despite the quirks EA is the best of the bunch.

StarUML is good, and best of all, free! (and open-source)

Quote:

Original post by Arild Fines Quote: Original post by jwenting Enterprise architect is excellent. The UI has too many quirks for me to ever rate it as "excellent".

EA is just about adequate - unfortunately that still puts it above all of the other UM tools available. The best tool for UML is still a pen and paper (or a whiteboard).

I also use pen&paper for use cases and state charts. I used to use PoseidonUML(Java based) but the screen was too small and program was slow. With poseidon though, I made a nice class hiearchy chart for FoxToolkit while ago. So that would be one example where UML tool is handy.

I use Visio for UML. I'm of the opinion that UML works best as a means of talking to people, not computers, and that programs like Rational Rose go way overboard in what they try to do with the UML. Visio's a nice drawing program, one that doesn't get in your way.

I use Rational Rose as it was taught as part of my S.E. course & I'm most familiar with it (though it's pretty ugly). I recently came across Bouml, which is free if nothing else. I haven't really played with it properly yet but it did a reasonable job analysing an existing project I'm working on (just for kicks), though it didn't pick up on links between classes if they were defined outside the class header.