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I need a tool which can create architectural block diagrams with elements/blocks like 'Computer', 'Database', 'Regular File', 'Network' etc.

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7 Answers

up vote 4 down vote

This sounds like a job for MS Visio. It is quite handy for the types of drawings you are looking to do.

Visio Homepage Here

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up vote 4 down vote

Another option is Gliffy which is an online solution based on a freemium model

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It has a API now in public beta – Rishi Aug 4 '09 at 14:34
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up vote 2 down vote

Dia and Kivio are excellent Linux desktop choices. Dia is also available for Windows, and both come with a very attractive price tag (free).

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up vote 2 down vote

SmartDraw

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up vote 1 down vote

It depends what exactly you want to do.

  • Free-form diagrams: Here tools like Excel, hiding the grids in the background and inserting proper icons have done a great job.
  • UML diagrams: I've heard about StarUML, Umbrello (good for Class diagrams), ArgoUML (not so good experiences), Enterprise Architect (not free, but extremely good).

Of course, MS Visio is always good for this kind of illustrations, unless it has to be correct UML.

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up vote 0 down vote

Dia and OpenOffice Draw are good opensource alternatives. However I would still strongly recommend Visio as already mentioned.

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up vote 0 down vote

Already mentioned was Visio which is pretty much the tool for this on Windows. If you're looking for open-source alternatives, then Dia or Kivio might suit your needs.

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