UML Support for Python [was IDLE development - Call for participation]

Martin Kew Martin.Kew at vsl.com.au
Wed Aug 16 20:20:28 EDT 2000


At 02:16 pm 16/08/00 +0000, you wrote:
>Martin Kew wrote:
> >
> > May I suggest, in the kindest possible way.  That efforts might be
> > better spent in providing python support for (or a python
> > implementation of) a UML round trip software engineering tool
> > like ArgoUML (http://argouml.tigris.org/).  What do you think ?
>
>Note: I have only an incomplete idea of what UML is about
>       and what Argo/UML tries to do. So please help me out,
>       if I get something wrong.
>
>I have had a look at Argo/UML's website. I cannot say I
>really understand what it is all about, but from the look
>at the UML specification I get the feeling that this is
>overkill for the features we aim at with IDLE.
>
>The motivation for IDLE imho is that the Python distribution
>contains a simple IDE for source code editing and interactive
>test runs and debugging.
>
>Visual Python IDEs (where "Visual" is meant like in "Visual
>Basic", "Visual J++" etc.) are being developed, though I see
>that that is only (and maybe not even) half the way UML goes.
>
>I think it would be nice to have Python support for e.g.
>Argo/UML, but I don't think that makes IDLE superfluous.

I agree with you direction for basic functionality to support small
single person tasks, but for larger projects involving a number of
people, where communication and maintenance is an issue.  The
trend is to capture the design of the software (and it's system) visually
in UML with the tool generating and maintaining the structure of
the code.  The prime reason I raised this issue, is that if Python does
not catch this wave it might get left behind.

There is an historical president for this, in the days of machine code
and assembly language programming there was a perception that
high level languages like Algol and Fortran where not need since
higher level structures like loops and records could be adequately
represented in assembly code.  The trend is (UML=high level language)
is used generate (Python/C++/Java=assembly language).

As a side note, I think Python has significant advantages over other
languages in this process, since it inherently polymorphic and has a
simple clear syntax.





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