The authors have done an outstanding job with this UML book. The definitions of the terms are the best I have seen. The organization and material in the encyclopedia are fantastic!
-Perry Cole, MCIWorldCom
The Unified Modeling Language (UML) has rapidly become the standard notation for modeling software-intensive systems. This book provides the definitive description of UML from its original developers--James Rumbaugh, Ivar Jacobson, and Grady Booch. Whether you are capturing requirements, developing a software architecture, designing the implementation, or trying to understand an existing system, this is the book for you.
The majority of the book is a unique alphabetical list of articles covering every aspect of UML in a form convenient for quick reference and detailed study. This format permits full coverage of UML details as well as high-level articles without confusing the reader by constant shifts in level. The first part of the book--a complete summary of UML concepts organized by subject area--provides an introduction to UML for the newcomer as well as entry points into the detailed articles.
Highlights of the book include:
Two-color diagrams, extensively annotated
Thorough coverage of both semantics and notation, separated in each article for easy reference
Further explanations of concepts whose meaning or purpose is obscure in the original specifications
Discussion sections offering usage advice and additional insight into tricky concepts
A hyperlinked version of the book in Adobe Reader format on CD-ROM, an excellent resource for browsing or searching the text for specific information
Full text of the UML specification documents on CD-ROM, courtesy of the Object Management Group
Notation summary, with hyperlinks to individual articles on CD-ROM
Written by the three pioneers behind the Unified Modeling Language (UML) standard,
The Unified Modeling Language Reference Manual provides an excellent real-world guide to working with UML. This title provides expert knowledge on all facets of today's UML standard, helping developers who are encountering UML on the job for the first time to be more productive.
The book begins with a history of UML, from structured design methods of the '60s and '70s to the competing object-oriented design standards that were unified in 1997 to create UML. For the novice, the authors illustrate key diagram types such as class, use case, state machine, activity, and implementation. (Of course, learning these basic diagram types is what UML is all about. The authors use an easy-to-understand ticket-booking system for many of their examples.)
After a tour of basic document types, The Unified Modeling Language Reference Manual provides an alphabetical listing of more than 350 UML terms. Entries range from a sentence or two to several pages in length. (Class, operation, and use case are just a few of the important terms that are covered.) Though you will certainly need to be acquainted with software engineering principles, this reference will serve the working software developer well. As the authors note, this isn't UML for Dummies, but neither is it an arcane academic treatise. The authors succeed in delivering a readable reference that will answer any UML question, no matter how common or obscure. --Richard Dragan
