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 All information current as of 19:20:37 Pacific Time, Monday, 21 February 2005.

Understanding UML: The Developer's Guide

   by Mark Watson

  Paperback:
    Morgan Kaufmann
    01 October, 1997

   US$29.21 

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Editorial description(s):

Amazon.com
It's rare that a computing book seizes on a wide range of emerging technologies and presents them in just the right detail. Understanding UML does just that, focusing on the latest and greatest in the use of object-oriented design and the Unified Modeling Language (UML) and detailing how to use Java to implement a sales database on the Web.

The authors begin with an outline of the software engineering cycle. They escort the reader through the jargon of a typical software project, including an introduction to object modeling and the basics of today's iterative software development cycle. Harmon and Watson describe the basic document types in the UML notation. The authors also feature a quick overview of Java and an introduction to computer-aided software engineering (CASE) tools and diagrams, which are useful in Business Process Re-engineering (BPR). (The authors choose Popkin's Software's SA/Object Architect as their CASE tool of choice here.)

The heart of the book is a case study of a hypothetical Web sales database for a small company, covering the project from analysis and design to implementation in code. This guide does a good job of presenting the fundamentals of UML and object-oriented modeling with enough detail to keep those who are averse to software engineering happy. Relevant source code (in Java) is included so you can see some of the finished product in this exceptionally balanced and informative text. While not comprehensive, this guide is all you need to get started with UML.


From Book News, Inc.
An introduction to Unified Modeling Language (UML) for software developers and Java programmers, showing how to use this object oriented notation to analyze and design applications. Features extended examples of a Java application designed for the Internet, an intranet sales reporting system written in Java, and an example application modeled both by hand and with the use of Popkin Software's SA/Object Architect OO visual modeling tool. Coverage includes the vocabulary of object technology, UML symbols and diagrams, coding applications in Java, business process reengineering, and choosing an object-oriented architecture. Book News, Inc.®, Portland, OR


Review
"...(an) exceptionally balanced and informative text."
--Rich Dragan


Review
"Â...(an) exceptionally balanced and informative text."
--Rich Dragan


From the Back Cover


"...(an) exceptionally balanced and informative text."

-Rich Dragan


The Unified Modeling Language (UML) is a third generation method for specifying, visualizing, and documenting an object-oriented system under development. It unifies the three leading object-oriented methods and others to serve as the basis for a common, stable, and expressive object-oriented development notation. As the complexity of software applications increases, so does the developer's need to design and analyze applications before developing them. This practical introduction to UML provides software developers with an overview of this powerful new design notation, and teaches Java programmers to analyse and design object-oriented applications using the UML notation.


About the Author
Paul Harmon is the editor of Object-Oriented Strategies newsletter and the former editor of CASE Strategies newsletter. He is on the Program Committee of the Object World conference, and is well known for his keynotes and tutorials at conferences. He has authored many books including The Object Technology Casebook, Objects in Action, and the international best seller Expert Systems: Artificial Intelligence for Business. Mark Watson is an independent software developer who has worked at Angel Studios as a game programmer for Nintendo and Windows 95 games, with SAIC on the development of tools for expert systems, and on natural language processing and neural network systems. He is the author of eight books.


Book Description


The Unified Modeling Language (UML) is a third generation method for specifying, visualizing, and documenting an object-oriented system under development. It unifies the three leading object-oriented methods and others to serve as the basis for a common, stable, and expressive object-oriented development notation. As the complexity of software applications increases, so does the developer's need to design and analyze applications before developing them. This practical introduction to UML provides software developers with an overview of this powerful new design notation, and teaches Java programmers to analyse and design object-oriented applications using the UML notation.

* Apply the basics of UML to your applications immediately, without having to wade through voluminous documentation
* Use the simple Internet example as a prototype for developing object-oriented applications of your own
* Follow a real example of an Intranet sales reporting system written in Java that is used to drive explanations throughout the book
* Learn from an example application modeled both by hand and with the use of Popkin Software's SA/Object Architect O-O visual modeling tool.




Reader review(s):

Yet another superficial design book, November 1, 1999
While this book goes further than most other OO design books I've read, it still falls well short of answering the elusive question - How the hell do I apply all this to my real life large scale applications? Most authors conveniently ignore the very existence of the GUI and focus on the easy part - the business classes. At least this books acknowledges the role of infrastructure classes and does give a few tips on when to introduce infrastructure classes in the analysis/design process. Fact is, in most business applications over 60% of the coding and maintenance effort is spent on the GUI and infrastructure (the How-To of an application). The authors too seems to agree that the nuts-and-bolt design takes up the most time in OO development process. In spite of this, less than 10% of the book is devoted to design. In fact, fleshing out the detailed design is left to the reader. The book does not even provide a complete class diagram for the simple example application.

Surprisingly, the authors suggest that developing the user interface could be done outside UML design! That means that the painstakingly developed models are useless when it comes to generating code! If I can't model all the classes in my application, round-trip engineering, as promised by many a UML tool vendors, becomes a pipe dream and the whole UML iterative development methodology falls flat on it's face. Very disappointing.

More Beginning OO than UML..., March 18, 1999
My rating is based on the comparison of the book's title to its content. I was expecting an advanced book on the UML for the seasoned developer based on the title.

What I got was a beginner's introduction to OO develelopment. In fact, the authors state on page 293 in the Afterword:

We've tried to keep this book simple. [...] If this book helps you get a feel for OO development and makes it possible for you to generate diagrams [...], we've done what we set out to do.

Don't be tricked me into purchasing the book by the misleading title. UML is discussed, but not in depth. If you're new to OO development, this book may be a good introduction. It also gives a fairly good introduction to the UML.

But a better book for just an introduction to UML is:

UML Distilled: applying the standard object modeling language by Martin Fowler with Kendall Scott

And for a more in-depth book, I liked:

The Unified Modeling Language User Guide by the three amigos

Poorly Written, March 27, 1998
While I'm sure the authors knew exactly what they were talking about, they did a truly poor effort of communicating the subject to the audience. Case in point: they spend the first 5 or so chapters mostly talking about what they will cover later on in the book or how a different topic (like Java) pertains to UML - and they'll talk more about it later. Few diagrams or examples were available, and those present aren't explained terribly well.

Very poorly written., August 27, 1999
I was VERY disappointed in this book. I was very surprised to see other reviews praising this work. I found it's presentation very superficial and confusing. If possible, I would have given it a lower rating.

A beginning OO book - if that, August 24, 1999
Wow, this book is not the first to do this, but it surely lays claim to "title crime". It is an intro book at best and not a great one at that. The application is a joke.

I agree with the previous reviewer. A better UML intro is UML distilled. For more advanced and exploratory work check out the Larman UML book and the Coad UML color book.

OK intro to UML, dissappointment overall, February 5, 1998
Although I was able to get a reasonable understanding of UML notation and how/when to use certain UML diagram types, the book was quite a dissappointment overall.

The authors spend way too much time on analysis methods that (admittedly) have no representative UML diagrams. Although they state clearly that UML is purely notational and does not imply/condone any particular methodology, they proceed to introduce a "generic" methodology of their own, and spend most of the book explaining it and using it to develop a simple "application".

Without doubt the most dissappointing thing about this book (to me) is the joke of an application developed by the authors. For a book subtitled "The Developer's Guide, with a Web-based application in Java", I actually laughed out loud a few times at example source code.

Sorry, guys, this book could've and should've been much, much better.

Clear, concise, and exactly what I was looking for..., January 15, 2001
I'm very pleased with this book. The authors take you step-by-step through the visual modeling process using UML and Java. I read the book cover to cover. It's almost like a good friend taking your hand and guiding you all the way.

I would highly recommend this book if you are new to UML or not clear on how the many diagrams fit together to elaborate an analysis and design effort.

Thanks, Paul Harmon and Mark Watson for writing such a great read.

Great Entry Level Book, May 23, 2001
This book should be titled: "How to Think about Developing a Software Application" or "The Process Major Consultant and Software Design Firms use to Build Software Applications."

I agree the book was a bit superficial on teaching you everything you need to know about UML. And the book could have benefited from more UML diagrams, but I learned so much more about other related topics which is what makes this book so great.

The authors talk about the whole software development process - not just UML. This is the best entry level book I have read that gives a complete picture to the mystery of creating an Object Oriented software project.

There's a lot more they could have said on software development and UML, but for a relatively easy to read book of 300 pages, I learned a tremendous amount of base knowledge that I'm sure a lot of traditional programmers may take for granted - such folks may have hoped for more UML info.

Oh yes, I also got a good introduction to UML too.

Laughable, May 15, 2002
Can I have my money back?
I wish I had something more positive to say about this "book" but I can't - really not good.

This book presents an adequate introcution to UML., March 15, 1999
Chapter 10 thru 15 present a sufficient introductory view of the subject in a sequentially well defined manner, supported by great diagrams. The appendix example is well tied in with the discussion from chapter 10 and up. However, I am astonished to see the author's reference to Connection as a class. Connection is an INTERFACE, not a class __I assume that, this is a mishap.

Well, for the material from chapter 10 an up, I give this effort 8/10.
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