Visual Modeling with Rational Rose 2002 and UML (3rd Edition)

Rating:
Summary: Not too hot
Review: I found this book disappointing and wondered why I would ever need to use Rational Rose. For a start, the examples in the appendices of code generation are for C++ and Visual Basic. Whatever happened to Java? Second, probably the most important design technique in use today, Design Patterns, hardly gets a mention on p175, with a reference to read the GoF book.

So what are we left with? Old-fashioned programming languages and techniques. Buy a book on Java design patterns instead, of which Amazon sells several.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent resource for the Rational Rose BEGINNER
Review: Rational Rose is a powerful tool, but like most such tools, it can be intimidating. The Unified Modeling Language or UML is also complex, so the combination can pose a problem for even the bravest of developers. Fortunately, this book is available to step you through the initial phases of beginning a project using the combination of UML with Rational Rose.
The form of the explanations is demonstrated by the example on page 136.

Creating Start States in Rational Rose
1. Click to select the Start icon from the toolbar.
2. Click on the statechart diagram to draw the Start icon.
3. Click to select the State Transition icon from the toolbar.
4. Click on the Start icon and drag the arrow to the desired state.

And there is a diagram following it that is an example of what the result should look like. Since all of the major areas of design are covered, with this book, some knowledge of the UML and a copy of Rational Rose, even the visual modeling beginner can begin creating their designs with almost no preparation.
There are those who will say that this book is too simplistic in tone. My response is to commend them for their abilities and to recommend another book. However, for all who are just beginning their relationship with Rational Rose, I strongly recommend this one.