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Summary: About "UML Toolkit"
Review: Quickly acquire the knowledge and skills you need to make the most of this revolutionary visual modeling language
With the release of UML, object-oriented developers at last have a common language for modeling and developing software systems. That means less time wasted sorting out conflicting terms and symbols and more time spent modeling better software systems. Now this powerful book/CD package arms you with everything you need to make the most of UML and the rapidly growing suite of UML-based products.
The authors walk you through the entire language, providing easy-to-follow guidelines and loads of real-world examples. They also give you detailed explanations of all UML diagrams, a full length case study showing how UML is used to develop an application, a visual glossary of all UML notations, and step-by-step instructions on how to:
· Move to UML from Booch, OMT, and Objectory
· Map Java to UML-includes many full-blown examples
· Define design patterns and how to use patterns in UML
· Describe real-time systems in UML
· Employ use cases to capture a system's functional requirements
On the CD-ROM you'll find:
· All UML models from the book
· All the Java code from the book
· Demo version of Rational Rose 4.0
· Trial version of Symantec Visual Cafe
HANS-ERIK ERIKSSON is a well-known author of books on C++ and object-oriented technology, a consultant specializing in OO design and programming, and a UML trainer. MAGNUS PENKER is VP of training at Astrakan, a Swedish company that specializes in object-oriented modeling and design.
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Summary: An USEFUL reference card, more than a teaching book !
Review: As professional with 14 yeras experiences, I recommend this book for everyone who have allready study the base of UML, and are looking for a guideline and a quick reference card. As Project manager, I have read and study more than 30 books about UML. For the first two projects, this book was for me very useful, because I serve it like a quick reference card for all the design tool, and as a guide line for the sequence of the phases (I followed the chapter 10, and the result was eloquent ! although today I have found a different one !) More over the case study is one of the only one I have encounter in books which is ampler than a school case study. I think the other comments are not very helpfull for who look for what is different in this book.
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Summary: Cool UML Book
Review: Excellant book on practical UML. Most books don't show show you how the models look like in code, this does so using java. Also a worthwhile chapter on modeling patterns in UML. There is also a chapter on a process for using UML. In all a very good detailed book with plenty of good examples.
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Summary: excellent, readable, concise, gives good grasp of UML
Review: Having read both Instant UML, and UML toolkit, found toolkit to add the most value in teaching fundamentals of UML design. The description of the processes, components and application to real business cases did not tax my brain too much. Instant UML much more suited as a reference book. Learning the art of designing object oriented business applications requires a robust methodology to relate business events to the OO architecture. UML provides a process flow from the use-case stage right through to the deployment stage to facilitate this process. Also a great productivity tool with DDL, C++, Java code generation functions.
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Summary: An excellent introduction - good work!
Review: I can't understand how a reviewer can give this book only one star. Probably because he/she has read 5 books on uml before this one. This is a clear understandable, intelligent, and down to earth, introduction to uml. I'm glad that I have this book on my shelf and it was very helpfull when I struggled to grasp the teachings of the 3 amigos book, The Rational Unified Process - RUP is good for those who already are familiar with uml and ooad. But as an introduction to the RUP I would only give it 2 starts. The authors of the UML Toolkit has done what must be the main purpose and goal for any teacher: maked things more clear and understandable, not more difficult to grasp. You don't have to read or guess what's behind the lines here. They know how to teach. A good basic book in uml modelling. Now we just need Erikson and Penker to bring the unified process down to earth in a clear and straightforward language as well.
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Summary: An excellent introduction - good work!
Review: I can't understand how a reviewer can give this book only one star. Probably because he/she has read 5 books on uml before this one. This is a clear understandable, intelligent, and down to earth, introduction to uml. I'm glad that I have this book on my shelf and it was very helpfull when I struggled to grasp the teachings of the 3 amigos book, The Rational Unified Process - RUP is good for those who already are familiar with uml and ooad. But as an introduction to the RUP I would only give it 2 starts. The authors of the UML Toolkit has done what must be the main purpose and goal for any teacher: maked things more clear and understandable, not more difficult to grasp. You don't have to read or guess what's behind the lines here. They know how to teach. A good basic book in uml modelling. Now we just need Erikson and Penker to bring the unified process down to earth in a clear and straightforward language as well.
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Summary: Excellent book for documenting your software in OO manner
Review: I have been programming in C++ for while. However, whenever I implemented any of my ideas of my research as a C++ program (some are big and some are small) and tried to put down my implementation idea in a systematic manner that follows Object Oriented paradigm, I was finding it enormously difficult! But this book gave me thorough concept of different types of diagrams as described in UML. Now I think UML is the best thing ever happened among OO community. The users of a developer's software will have least difficulty in getting to know the software from his perspective. UML would not have been famous if books like this were not published! Believe me, this book helps you if you are lost in OO programming (but I would recommend readers to have knowledge about C++ or other OO languages before they start this book).
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Summary: Giving the author the benefit of the doubt.
Review: I picked up the book after reviewing the discussion on Use Cases. It's the best intro to the various diagrams I have seen. Big problem though, the symbols he uses doesn't match the latest UML specifications. Anyone that has glanced at UML knows there is a confusing amount of different ways to illustrate the relations between items on a diagram. Lines with open triangles at the end, diamonds (open and filled), and arrow heads intermixed with solid and dashed lines. Each with a differnt meaning. Well, the book gets it wrong. Specifically he keeps using the open triangle at the end of the line to signify things like instantiating templates. Go ... and download the UML spec. He also adds stereotypes that don't seem to exists ( "uses" ? ). Or rather I could find any other reference that talks about them. This would be a major problem if you decided to use a tool like Rose. Design tools like Rose attach certain meanings to different shapes. I find myself constantly rechecking and re-looking up symbols. There is a possibility that some of this stuff is undefine or optional in the UML spec, but I don't want to read an 800 page document to understand this 400 page book. So good discussion, bad applications/examples. Try "The Unified Modeling Language User Guide" instead. Not as much discussion, but better accuracy.
Rating:
Summary: Giving the author the benefit of the doubt.
Review: I picked up the book after reviewing the discussion on Use Cases. It's the best intro to the various diagrams I have seen. Big problem though, the symbols he uses doesn't match the latest UML specifications. Anyone that has glanced at UML knows there is a confusing amount of different ways to illustrate the relations between items on a diagram. Lines with open triangles at the end, diamonds (open and filled), and arrow heads intermixed with solid and dashed lines. Each with a differnt meaning. Well, the book gets it wrong. Specifically he keeps using the open triangle at the end of the line to signify things like instantiating templates. Go ... and download the UML spec. He also adds stereotypes that don't seem to exists ( "uses" ? ). Or rather I could find any other reference that talks about them. This would be a major problem if you decided to use a tool like Rose. Design tools like Rose attach certain meanings to different shapes. I find myself constantly rechecking and re-looking up symbols. There is a possibility that some of this stuff is undefine or optional in the UML spec, but I don't want to read an 800 page document to understand this 400 page book. So good discussion, bad applications/examples. Try "The Unified Modeling Language User Guide" instead. Not as much discussion, but better accuracy.
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Summary: Best of the lot on UML so far. Practical and easy to read.
Review: I wanted a book that summarized UML quickly and also functioned as a cookbook for all the diagramming techniques. This book filled the bill very nicely. I looked at several others and they were lacking on examples or implementation details. Some of these other books were smaller, and some larger. But, this book hit the sweetspot in coverage and readability. I gave this book a "10" rating because it is the best of the practical books that I have found so far on the complete UML approach. It's certainly not the best book that I've read this year... but for it's purpose of covering UML it is truly great. It's about 1 inch thick, includes lots of diagrams and examples, and is easy to read. I keep it handy to help me draw my entity-relationship type diagrams using the new UML formats. For those of you who don't know what UML is, it's the "Unified Modeling Language". It consolidates the previously competing approaches to systems analysis... particularly of Booch, Rumbaugh and Jacobson. They have now collaborated and standardized how you should analyze various types of software systems.
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