Rating: 
Summary: Verbose
Review: I had to read this book for a Software System Design class. I put it down half way through the semester. This book was extremely wordy and all points were absolutely beaten to death. The authors could have adequately covered the material in half the number of pages they used. There must be a better book out there on this topic.
Rating:
Summary: Worst book ever
Review: I have been teaching Systems Analysis for over 30 years. This is the worst textbook I have used in those 30 years. The writing style is atrocious. The sentences are so belabored. In a single sentence one may find parenthetical expressions, references to other parts of the book and conditional expressions. Here's a typical example "However, the elements defined in the design model are the "design counterparts" of the more conceptual elements defined in the analysis model in the sense that the former (design) elements are adapted to the implementation environment whereas the latter (analysis) elements are not". Need I say more? Most diagrams are about the USDP rather than diagrams about the artifacts that the USDP requires. Never is there a really good illustration of the blood and guts of the process, a "Use Case". I had 72 students ready to lynch me. It was the worst mistake I ever made in the textbook selection process.
Rating:
Summary: A reader in the Netherlands
Review: I have worked on OO since 1987 and have come to the conclusion that objects and use cases alone are not sufficient for success (I suspect that they may be necessary but that is another discussion). The UML and use cases are rooted in the object mindset. It is not possible to design and maintain large systems with objects and use cases. A use case is by definition an interaction session with an actor. What happens if there are very many actors, each one doing its own thing? The answer is anarchy. What we need is a revision of the object paradigm. In particular, use cases are OK but before we discover them we must concentrate on viewpoints and requirements (UML 2.0 here we come). The major weakness in Jacobson's book is the total lack of architecture. It is not true when the authors claim that use case drive architecture. The Boundary-Entity-Control patterns is good but have the authors seen what is being done at CMU in the area of PAC (Presentation Abstraction Control) model? Concluding, the example in the book is worn out by now (ATM). The UML has not kept abreast of new developments such as core process modelling, architecture and patterns. Many of my customers are beginning to reach the boundaris of UML and the RUP.
Rating: 
Summary: Lots of knowledge, poorly explained, poor illustrations
Review: I suppose that students at our school are representative for the worldwide population of cs students. This book is not at all an easy introduction to the unified process. Having been introduced to the principles of ooad in an earlier semester, and thus already knowing something about ooad, we were introduced to Jacobsons RUP. Their book contains a lot of knowledge, but unfortunately the authors are a) either not very good at explaining their knowledge b) hiding the knowledge to make it seem more intelligent than it really is or c) have written the book for people who already knows, at least something, about the unified process, or the objectory process that preceeded RUP. If you are looking for good illustrations and examples on how to model a system with uml and the added classifiers using the the RUP, then I suggest that you don't start with this book. You'll be disappointed. Working on our first project using the RUP, hearing complaints from nearly all students over the lack of understandable examples, I bought Jacobsons's earlier book - Object Oriented Software Engineering. In that book I found much better and concrete examples, which were very helpfull in understanding their latest book (but that shouldn't be necessary!). If you are looking for an easy introduction to the unified process, conveniently having things explained for you in an easy to understand way, then this is definitely not the book for you. Very poor examples - or should I say lack of good and understandable examples. On the other hand, if you don't know so much about ooad, has lots of time, likes to crack nuts, read between the lines and guess about this and that, then this book is for you. - I admit that after having gone through the hard process, gaining experience in RUP through a practical project, I have come to like the process and has found it very usefull. The principles of the RUP are sound and good. Now that I have gone through the struggle, and knows it better, I'm glad that I have it on my shelf. It contains a lot of usefull, but unfortunately poorly explained, and illustrated, information.
Rating: 
Summary: Good If you want to be a good Software Engineer
Review: I think this book have influence of Brooks, If you read the Mythical Month Man you will recognize all in the sense that the guidance of software engineering are like the Brooks's book (it has over 25 years). Also go so far.But its not for UML or POO, its oriented to the Software Engineering good practice.Excellent for large projects.But too general. If you want a book of software engineering this is for you.
Rating:
Summary: Not worth a penny
Review: I'm a mechatronics engineer with no formal training in software design. I bought this book to learn the basics of software design for a major project. I regret every penny I spent.
The book contains a nugget or two of useful information, but its writing could not have been worse. A sizable part of the book is dedicated to explaining why software engineers need a formal design process, why that process should be need- and risk-driven, and why it needs to be iterative. This information is very basic; ANYONE should be aware of it almost instinctively. But the book spends hundreds of pages on these basic facts. This is very patronizing and insulting to readers' intelligence. Furthermore, instead of being concise and precise, the book rambles and rambles and rambles and...
In summary, this is a very poorly written, rambling, patronizing, and useless book, not worth a penny. I am writing this evaluation out of extreme anger. When you spend $50+ and several days reading a 300-page book to learn NOTHING, you have the right to feel insulted by the authors. I know no more about software design now than I knew before reading the book.
Rating:
Summary: Great detailed look at the Unified Process
Review: I've found Jacobson's book to be very useful. Athough not as fun to read as one of Booch's books, it nevertheless has great content. Having recently started a project using the Unified Process, this book gave me all the details on what to do for each step. I've read about half the book, hitting the overview chapters, and the workflow chapters up through analysis, and having hit the phase chapters up through Inception, plus a few others, out of order. I found the book to be a great guide in planning my iterations and deciding what activities to include or not include in my first iteration cycle. As an engineer doing project management activities, I've found the Unified Process to give me a great structure from which to drive the engineering. The only problem with the book for me, is that my team has decided to use the Rational Unified Process, and we've found Philippe Kruchten's book "The Rational Unified Process" and the Rational RUP product to be more convenient sources of distilled information, given our time pressure. But Jacobson's book is still the foundation of our plans, and is the only source of Analysis details, which Kruchen virually ignores. In short, I'd recommend this book after you've read Kruchen's introductory book and want more details.
Rating: 
Summary: Seminal work on the Process of Constructing Software
Review: If all you want to do is to throw together a dog kennel, then avoid this book. If you want to create a repeatable development process that is capable of continuous improvement, then look no further. The USDP stands the test of time. The book deals with all aspects of a Software Construction Process in a frank, logical and full manner. It must be the seminal work on the subject.
Rating:
Summary: good book--but probably not for you
Review: If you need an academic view on software engineering and the UP in particular, get this book. Otherwise you'll find it useful for occasional reference at best. If you don't know the UP/RUP, forget about this book and get Kruchten's "The Rational Unified Process--An Introduction" If you know the UP and need more information about how to apply it in real-world projects, chances are you won't find it in this book. You might want to look into Scott Ambler's series "The Unified Process xxx Phase".
Rating:
Summary: An excellent introduction book for software architect
Review: If you want to be an archtiect or a lead programmer, read it and try to make sense of it. Otherwise, don't bother.
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