I'd actually rather see someone's free form artsy drawing than a UML picture
I totally agree. The whole idea behind UML is to force diagrams into a set of constraints drawn from a particular model of computing and design (early 90s OO, I suppose) on the assumption that this is the "right" way to imagine software. This excludes the ineffable creativity which drawings are so good for. It's amazing what happens in a good design discussion when people spontaneously pick up a pen at a whiteboard without thinking about it. UML forces people to think about something other than the problem at hand, distorting ideas and breaking flow.
And in the name of what? "We need a standard," they used to say, "so that people know whether they should draw square boxes or round ones, so we can get beyond the notation wars." What tripe.
I totally agree. The whole idea behind UML is to force diagrams into a set of constraints drawn from a particular model of computing and design (early 90s OO, I suppose) on the assumption that this is the "right" way to imagine software. This excludes the ineffable creativity which drawings are so good for. It's amazing what happens in a good design discussion when people spontaneously pick up a pen at a whiteboard without thinking about it. UML forces people to think about something other than the problem at hand, distorting ideas and breaking flow.
And in the name of what? "We need a standard," they used to say, "so that people know whether they should draw square boxes or round ones, so we can get beyond the notation wars." What tripe.