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Title: UML Distilled: A Brief Guide to the Standard Object Modeling Language (2nd Edition) by Martin Fowler, Kendall Scott ISBN: 0-201-65783-X Publisher: Addison-Wesley Pub Co Pub. Date: 25 August, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $34.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.91 (69 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: An Informative and Satisfying Guide to UML in OO Design
Comment: This is an informative and satisfying guide to using UML in object oriented development. In relatively few pages the most commonly used aspects of the standard modeling language are presented, explained, and illustrated. A developer already familiar with an object oriented language could make good use of this book as their first introduction to UML. For those without any grounding in object orientation I think Sams Teach Yourself UML in 24 Hours or Fundamentals of Object-Oriented Design in UML are better places to start.
The thing I liked the most about this book was the practical advice for moving an object oriented project through to completion. As asides to the explanations of UML syntax and form, the authors dropped in tidbits of advice... "Don't try to do software that exactly maps the conceptual perspective. Try, instead, to be faithful to the spirit of conceptual perspective but still realistic considering the tools you are using" (p. 150). This was said in the context of one of the longer chapters in the book, UML and Programming, where the reader is walked through a demonstration of using UML to conceptualize a patient information system for a hospital and then walked through the choices that might be made to implement it in Java. The authors work with a sample where an ideal solution is out of reach and illustrate instead a pragmatic choice that works. This kind of thing is done over and over again in the book. Martin Fowler also refers the reader to his website where he extends this demonstration into greater complexities than the book covered.
Since this book is so brief it would be a great choice for an entire team to read together to get everyone on the same page for a project.
Rating: 4
Summary: A Good Distillation and Reference
Comment: I read the 1st edition of the book several years ago and this 2nd edition just recently. This book is a very good summary of the most commonly used UML diagrams and notation. It's a handy refresher for those who have already studied UML in detail and need a quick, practical reference. It may also work for those who are unfamiliar with UML, but need a quick primer on how to read UML diagrams. It's much less effective as a tutorial for using UML. The writing is clear and concise. Chapter 2 is a good summary of the development process, touching the high points and offering some useful tips. (The author recommends Craig Larman's book "Applying UML and Patterns" for a more in-depth introduction to Unified Process. I agree with that recommendation.) Chapters 3 - 10 (which cover the diagrams and notation) are the most useful. Chapter 11 "UML and Programming", is not very effective in trying to bridge UML work to programming. It either needs more detail, or should have been omitted entirely. Its primary accomplishment seems to be the author's facetious intention to "get Java into this book somehow" (p. 148).
Rating: 1
Summary: A Terrible Guide - Even if a "Brief Guide"
Comment: This book is a terrible guide to UML. The authors constantly give their opinions on components of UML and fail to define or illustrate the components clearly or accurately. Irrelevant metaphors and "jibber-jabber" are constantly used throughout every chapter. The further the book goes into UML and the more complex the subject becomes - the more vague and misleading the book becomes. I would not recommend this book to anyone attempting to learn or use UML. Whether this book is assuming that the reader knows UML or not, it would be incomplete for both types of readers.
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Title: Design Patterns by Erich Gamma, Richard Helm, Ralph Johnson, John Vlissides ISBN: 0201633612 Publisher: Addison-Wesley Pub Co Pub. Date: 15 January, 1995 List Price(USD): $54.99 |
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Title: Applying UML and Patterns: An Introduction to Object-Oriented Analysis and Design and the Unified Process (2nd Edition) by Craig Larman ISBN: 0130925691 Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR Pub. Date: 13 July, 2001 List Price(USD): $52.00 |
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Title: Writing Effective Use Cases by Alistair Cockburn ISBN: 0201702258 Publisher: Addison-Wesley Pub Co Pub. Date: 15 January, 2000 List Price(USD): $39.99 |
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Title: The Unified Modeling Language User Guide by Grady Booch, James Rumbaugh, Ivar Jacobson ISBN: 0201571684 Publisher: Addison-Wesley Pub Co Pub. Date: 30 September, 1998 List Price(USD): $54.99 |
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Title: Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code by Martin Fowler, Kent Beck, John Brant, William Opdyke, Don Roberts ISBN: 0201485672 Publisher: Addison-Wesley Pub Co Pub. Date: 28 June, 1999 List Price(USD): $54.99 |
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