In the beginning was the flowchart. Software diagramming - a warning from history.

http://www.regdeveloper.co.uk/2007/08/16/verity_stob_software_diagramming/

by parbo • 19 years ago

8 6 19 years ago

regdeveloper.co.uk

Kaizyn• 19 years ago

Brooks' Mythical Man Month records that flow charts were somewhat helpful for grouping low-level machine/assembly instructions together into higher level units conceptually. But with the advent of better languages like C, the need for flow charting went away.

DanielBMarkham2• 19 years ago

Ugh.

Nothing like reading a critique from somebody who doesn't know what they are doing and using some technology as a straw man.

UML class diagrams are good. UML class diagrams are love. Leave my UML class diagrams out of this! (grin)

I'd go with the bigger point that engineers never met a helpful tool that they couldn't eventually overengineer and beat into something that people loathed.

joshwa2• 19 years ago

OK, but the the domain-neutral component can kiss my ass.

Or, rather, my colleague's bastardized version of it. When in doubt, stick another moment-interval in between some green stuff to make it look "right".

Then again, I live in BPMN these days. Or, rather, in limbo between BPMN and UML Activity.

DanielBMarkham2• 19 years ago

The BPMN and the "diagram until you puke" UML guys are just beating the heck outta the art of communication using a diagram. It's such an easy concept, why do folks have to go and keep adding more and more stuff until nobody likes it anymore?

I completely understand the gist of the article. Diagramming is supposed to be a tool for communication, collaboration, and discussion. But instead it becomes some kind of tool to control the universe. Sometimes I wonder if we only need about 1-5% of all of the tools we use. The rest is just overkill.

edw519• 19 years ago

"In the beginning was the flowchart..."

Then came the "consulting industry" asking the question, "How can we squeeze a few more bucks out of this situation?"

So they came up with stuff like UML, DFD, Rational Rose, etc., etc., etc. to support their primary objective, which has always been...

To make those who do not know what they are doing appear as if they do.

</music>

How else could they take someone who knows nothing, pay them $50K per year and bill them out at $250 per hour?

Every time I read a post about "diagramming", I'm reminded of the end of a Boston Celtics game in the late 80's. Down by 1 point with 3 seconds left, Coach K.C. Jones was diagramming the play on his chalkboard when Larry Bird wiped everything off it and said, "Gimme the ball." They did. He shot. They won. So much for diagrams.

In the beginning was the flowchart. Software diagramming - a warning from history.

Related Stories