Free/Open Source UML Designers

[Gregg Bolinger]

I'm looking for some free uml designers. I'd prefer to have one that also designed database schemas. It would be nice if it was written in Java as well. I know DBDesigner (for databases only) but they are dropping it for a commercial version. Also, I'd prefer they be standalone products. Not plugins for IDE's. Any suggestions are appreciated.
[ April 21, 2005: Message edited by: Gregg Bolinger ]

[Pat Flickner]

There's Argo UML at http://argouml.tigris.org/ that's pretty good, and there's poseidon for uml at http://www.gentleware.com/index.php, which I personally like even better, albeit a bit more complex, and replaced Argo UML with. Regarding specifics for database, after using Visio for school for both database design and for it's somewhat useful UML, I found that the two were very similar, so I don't think you'd have a problem using the basics to create your database. It's designed to use a tree structure so you should be okay.

[Pat Flickner]

Sorry, the posiedon link got weird. Here's the right one: http://gentleware.com/index.php.

[Mani Venkatesan]

I have used JUDE - just google on JUDE modeling tool and you should be able to find it. Its good for UML designing. I am not sure if it has a DB design feature too.

[mik kenstr�m]

I have downloaded and tested Borland Together Community Edition
because it supports UML 2.0 and I have to use it.

I have just started using Togetger CE so, have any of you used it
longer and noticed any restrictions in it? I mean e.g. are there any
limitation how many UML components can be in diagram or other similar restrictions.

mikke

[Edwin Keeton]

The only limit I've noticed with TogetherCE for UML diagramming is that you can't print anything. Otherwise it's a very powerful tool. But if you need to print or other features like code-generation and round-trip engineering you have to pay.

[Scott Ambler]

How about using a whiteboard for the majority of your models? See Software Modeling on Whiteboards.

- Scott

[Gregg Bolinger]

Originally posted by Scott Ambler:
How about using a whiteboard for the majority of your models? See Software Modeling on Whiteboards.

- Scott

Interesting Scott. I actually do that now. I also will go into paint or some image editing software and draw diagrams there if I am in a hurry. I don't ever use the uml to code engineering. And UML is probably to correct a word for what I do. But they are easy for anyone to understand what the heck I am doing.

[Axel Janssen]

if you want something very simple which works, take a look at this small japanese project: http://www.esm.jp/jude-web/en/index.html
[ April 24, 2005: Message edited by: Axel Janssen ]

[Scott Ambler]

One of the things that I've always found frustrating about the modeling community is that few of the authors/gurus/... seem willing to talk about sketching on whiteboards even though it's the most prevalent form of modeling out there.

- Scott