astah*, formerly known as JUDE (Java and UML Developers' Environment, pronounced Jūdo (ジュード)), is a UML modeling tool created by Japanese company ChangeVision (a related company of Eiwa System Management and Mamezou OS Holdings Co.,Ltd). The Community edition (formerly known as Take (竹, "Bamboo") edition for prior to version 1.4) is free to use and offers the following functionality:
The number of JUDE users was 120,000 as of October 30, 2006. On September 2009, JUDE was renamed to astah* after receiving concerns from German users who pointed out the product name similarity with the German word Jude, which refers to a male Jew.[1]
JUDE received the "Software Product Of The Year 2006" prize, established by IPA (Information-Technology Promotion Agency, Japan).[2]
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Based on the concept of "Usable from the moment of installation", the modeling features of JUDE/Community have been designed to be simple and user friendly.[3]
JUDE/Professional is the product version of JUDE with all the features of JUDE/Community plus additional enhancements. It has enriched features, such as input-output and diagram creation guidance. It is suitable for business use, large-sized models, and document creation.[4] A 20-day free trial is available by obtaining an Evaluation License.
JUDE/Professional began to support the part of diagrams' expressions of UML2.0 from version 3.0.
And JUDE/Professional supports also ER diagram from version 3.2.
JUDE development was originally started by Kenji Hiranabe, CEO of Change Vision, Inc, in 1996, around the time that UML, Java and some design patterns began appearing. He sensed that a radical UML tool for Object-Oriented Development was going to be in demand in the future and this idea spurred him to start creating JUDE. He gathered volunteer engineers in Eiwa System Management Inc, for whom he was working at the time; and they developed it in their free time as a non money making venture. JUDE was born out of their passion for creation. JUDE was originally named JOMT.
JUDE started to be provided as a free software in 1999. Then 5 years later was reached the decision to start selling JUDE in the Japanese market. This decision came from 1) the background that there were some UML modeling tools in overseas but they were a bit high price and, 2) the idea that the company would get more feedbacks from Japanese users and could evolve JUDE more based on them if JUDE was released on the market.
As for these facts, Hiranabe himself expressed himself in an interview in the Japanese web site: The Project Managers on September 22, 2005nd managed by IT Innovation Inc,.