1. Problem -> Analysis -> Design -> Solution

is a primary approximation of "what software development is." It is a problem solution scheme, i.e. mapping from Problem Domain to Solution Domain. When a problem is complex, you have to "analize" the problem and convert it onto Model Domain first, "design" a solution in that domain, and then, re-convert("implement") it back onto Real Domain. 2. UML is a modeling language. so it naturally covers Model Domain. 3. MDA, and other code gen. technology(and other UML tools) goes to automatic generation of working solution(code) from Design Model. It is very important for engineering, but in the context of 2005, creating a executable model is much more time consuming than hand-writing readable source code except in some special areas. 4. JUDE goes to the other side. i.e. modeling the problem itself. This is why we decided to add Mind Maps to JUDE. To us, UML is a medium for communicating ideas among "human", not creating machine readable code. We are more interested in capturing user requirements, sketching them, communicating them. In the Agile movement context, which I'm deeply involved, ecently, capturing "User Wish"(vague requirement) is a big topic. And Kent Beck also uses Mind Mapping very heavily in his presentation. Mind Map has strong "evocativeness" that stores the context of user interview like "Story Cards". (I'm preparing an article on that topic, coming soon) JUDE is going to add more requirement capturing features in the future. I'm thinking of adding MagiCa, Mandalart, Soft System Methods, Goal Analysis, and others .... Does anyone have other attractive features to add ?

Best Regards, -Kenji --- Kenji HIRANABE Change Vision, Inc. JAPAN Japanese translator of "XP Installed", "Lean Software Development" and "Agile Project Management"