Sequence diagrams, the only good thing UML brought to software development

Re:Sequence diagrams, the only good thing UML brought to sof... by wiz21c on Friday June 16, 2023 @02:24AM (#36352258)

Nothing wrong, but code is already formal enough that you don't need a formal visual language (UML is not just a bunch of diagrams, it's a formal language). So yeah, a bit of drawing might help to understand, a few ideas from UML might help, but it's not like it is super necessary.

As said, the sequence diagram is a real plus because sequence information is not very well expressed by code, so that diagram has much added value.

I personnaly find UML hard to use becaues if you want to communicate your ideas precisely, you have to know much of its formalism and most often, people who read your drawings don't master its intricacies, so communication quality is no good...

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Sequence diagrams, the only good thing UML brought to sof... by throwaway290 on Friday June 16, 2023 @03:15AM (#36352674)

> code is already formal enough that you don't need a formal visual language

Code can be formal enough but in reality it is almost never formal enough. Many constraints can be expressed imperatively (eg. someone validates the number of related objects in the create view) and in unexpected places (across repositories and libraries and maybe not even in code but in some stored procedure). And then it is all in flux and can go away the moment you change your stack.

I don't know if UML is perfectly flexible (maybe?) but its sure benefit is a source of truth that does not depend on your implementation.

[ Parent | on HN ]