kcarlin's Journal: UML for the Observant

In an effort to improve software reliability, NASA has mandated that the Unified Modeling Language (UML) be used in the development of software for the James Webb Space Telescope. According to an article at Byte

To insure as much quality review up front as possible, NASA is telling each participant it must design and develop software using the Unified Modeling Language, a modeling symbol and syntax that allows code to be generated from models. It's also requiring that developers use as many public software standards and interfaces as possible.

There is room for apprehension, of course. Translated literally, as many as possible could mean piling on standards and interfaces like frat boys stuffing pledges into a Yugo for the record. (And what would that do to the mission weight allowance?)