Tim Almond

I used to use Microsoft Visio for my diagramming needs. It’s a brilliant tool, but most of my independent client work doesn’t require UML documentation - it’s more business orientated.

However, I do need diagrams occassionally, and I make a trade-off and use a drawing package (it’s much cheaper than buying Visio).

It looks like there’s a new tool for my box, though. Gliffy is a diagramming service that runs via the web. You can draw diagrams via your browser and then share them to allow for collaboration, and export them to SVG, JPEG or PNG. It’s got shapes built in for basic shapes, flowcharting, UML and floor planning.

It uses Flash as its primary technology. I prefer things that don’t require Flash, but can’t think of another way to do this. 

It isn’t as feature-rich as Visio. But I don’t need full-on Visio. I also prefer to deal with things that work cross-platform. Having an extra £300+ in the bank is also quite an incentive.

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Tags: Software Development, Technology, Design //