4 ms·

This article is from 1987 and feels way ahead of its time. One of the (sad) conclusions was: > (4) The future lies in visual languages and methodologies that,

This article is from 1987 and feels way ahead of its time. One of the (sad) conclusions was: > (4) The future lies in visual languages and methodologies that, with appropriate structuring elements, can exploit all the obvious advantages of graphical man-machine interaction. > As to thesis (4), we believe that before long scientists and engineers will be sitting in front of graphical workstations with large (blackboard size?) displays of fantastic resolution, carrying out their everyday technical and scientific chores. > The ‘real’ description of the object is usually given in some textual, algebraic form, and the picture is there only to help see things better, and to assist in comprehending the complexity involved. Here we are suggesting that visual formalism should be the name of the game; > Textual representations of these visual objects can be given, but they are the aids (e.g., for users lacking graphical equipment, or for applications requiring textual reports), and not the other way around. Yet, 33 years later we are nowhere close to the man-machine interaction the authors were suggesting.

ahasani 7y ago
It is ahead of its time and we are getting closer, one example, please check out UE4 Blueprint visualizing animation states at https://docs.unrealengine.com/en-US/Engine/Animation/StateMachines/index.html https://docs.unrealengine.com/en-US/Engine/Animation/StateMa...
streetcat1 7y ago
So Harel did form a company - iLogix (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-Logix https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-Logix), which developed "no code" visual tools using statecharts, mainly for embedded systems. Also, in early 2000, there was a movement for "executable UML", (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executable_UML https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executable_UML). Which was based on state charts, and tried to be the first version of what is today known as "no code". However, then agile came alone, and we went back to "code is the design", so those methods did not find commercial success.
- brucou 7y ago
  I find your thesis interesting (that agile ended the top-down design approach resulting from statecharts modeling). Do you have any references/links I can review to support it? It is true that agile seems antithetic to Big Design Up Front (http://www.agilemodeling.com/essays/bmuf.htm http://www.agilemodeling.com/essays/bmuf.htm). However the methods did seem to have found commercial success (in safety-critical software) albeit not in front-end programming. I believe instead that the drivers of adoption/rejection are specific to the success factors in specific industries. That or maybe front-end programming is driven more by trial and error (+ hype?) than by engineering.
jsilence 7y ago
Wrote my master thesis of chemical engineering in the ninetees about an attempt to model a chemical plant in state charts to assist safety analysis. State charts allow for formal verification of a model which can be beneficial for embedded, safety critical software like central locling of cars or airbags. VSDL can be generated from Statemate. We managed to model a significant part of the demo plant, the vessels and valves and such, not any software, but failed with an attempt of verification of properties with temporal logic and theorem provers.

ahasani 7y ago

It is ahead of its time and we are getting closer, one example, please check out UE4 Blueprint visualizing animation states at https://docs.unrealengine.com/en-US/Engine/Animation/StateMachines/index.html https://docs.unrealengine.com/en-US/Engine/Animation/StateMa...

streetcat1 7y ago

So Harel did form a company - iLogix (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-Logix https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-Logix), which developed "no code" visual tools using statecharts, mainly for embedded systems. Also, in early 2000, there was a movement for "executable UML", (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executable_UML https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executable_UML). Which was based on state charts, and tried to be the first version of what is today known as "no code". However, then agile came alone, and we went back to "code is the design", so those methods did not find commercial success.

brucou 7y ago
I find your thesis interesting (that agile ended the top-down design approach resulting from statecharts modeling). Do you have any references/links I can review to support it? It is true that agile seems antithetic to Big Design Up Front (http://www.agilemodeling.com/essays/bmuf.htm http://www.agilemodeling.com/essays/bmuf.htm). However the methods did seem to have found commercial success (in safety-critical software) albeit not in front-end programming. I believe instead that the drivers of adoption/rejection are specific to the success factors in specific industries. That or maybe front-end programming is driven more by trial and error (+ hype?) than by engineering.

jsilence 7y ago

Wrote my master thesis of chemical engineering in the ninetees about an attempt to model a chemical plant in state charts to assist safety analysis. State charts allow for formal verification of a model which can be beneficial for embedded, safety critical software like central locling of cars or airbags. VSDL can be generated from Statemate. We managed to model a significant part of the demo plant, the vessels and valves and such, not any software, but failed with an attempt of verification of properties with temporal logic and theorem provers.