History of the USE Tool 20 Years of UML/OCL Modeling Made in Germany

Abstract

The UML-based Specification Environment (USE) originated as a modeling tool for validating UML and OCL models but has grown much larger over the years. The first version of USE was released in 1998. Since then, USE has been applied in several projects and had lots of contributors developing it, benefiting from a university environment and open source code basis. Its strong OCL evaluator allows for using it as a platform for other modeling projects but also applications in research projects and teaching have made USE a significant entry in the world of UML/OCL modeling tools. Countless case studies have been performed on the basis of USE. This contribution shows the evolution of USE by summarizing important extensions over the years. Furthermore, noteworthy applications of USE in teaching, research and industry are presented.