UML Distilled: A Brief Guide to the Standard Object Modeling Language, 3rd Edition
Martin Fowler, Jim Rumbaugh (Foreword by), Grady Booch (Foreword by), Ivar Jacobson (Foreword by), Cris KobrynBooks.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Overview
Now widely adopted as the de facto industry standard and sanctioned by the Object Management Group, the Unified Modeling Language (UML) is a notation all software developers need to know and understand. However, the UML is a big language, and not all of it is equally important. The award-winning first edition of UML Distilled was widely praised for being a concise guide to the core parts of the UML and has proved extremely successful in helping developers get up and running quickly. UML Distilled, Second Edition, maintains the concise format with significantly updated coverage of use cases and activity diagrams, and expanded coverage of collaborations. It also includes a new appendix detailing the changes between UML versions.Written for those with a basic understanding of object-oriented analysis and design, this book begins with a summary of UML's history, development, and rationale and then moves into a discussion of how the UML can be integrated into the object-oriented development process. The primary author profiles the various modeling techniques in the UML--such as use cases, class diagrams, and interaction diagrams--and describes the notation and semantics clearly and succinctly. He also outlines useful non-UML techniques such as CRC cards and patterns. These descriptions are made even more relevant with a collection of best practices based on the primary author's experience and a brief Java programming example demonstrating the implementation of a UML-based design. With this tour of the key parts of the UML, readers will be left with a firm foundation upon which to build models and develop further knowledge of the Unified Modeling Language.
Praise for the First Edition
"UML Distilled is a recipient of the prestigious 1997 Software Development Magazine Productivity Award in the Books category. Addison-Wesley congratulates authors Martin Fowler and Kendall Scott for their outstanding work."
"This book is a godsend. It is packed with solid advice presented in a concise and highly readable way. The essence of the notations is explained very well indeed but the author goes beyond this to give very clear insights into the application of UML techniques."
—Jennifer Stapleton, Vice President Technical, British Computer Society
"UML Distilled is well written, knowledgeable about both systems development and UML, and disarmingly honest."
—Robert L. Glass, The Software Practitioner (March 1998)
"UML Distilled proves that you can say a lot of useful things about computing in a small book."
—Gregory V. Wilson, Dr. Dobb's Journal
Synopsis
Now widely adopted as the de facto industry standard and sanctioned by the Object Management Group, the Unified Modeling Language (UML) is a notation all software developers need to know and understand. However, the UML is a big language, and not all of it is equally important. The award-winning first edition of UML Distilled was widely praised for being a concise guide to the core parts of the UML and has proved extremely successful in helping developers get up and running quickly. UML Distilled, Second Edition, maintains the concise format with significantly updated coverage of use cases and activity diagrams, and expanded coverage of collaborations. It also includes a new appendix detailing the changes between UML versions.
Written for those with a basic understanding of object-oriented analysis and design, this book begins with a summary of UML's history, development, and rationale and then moves into a discussion of how the UML can be integrated into the object-oriented development process. The primary author profiles the various modeling techniques in the UML--such as use cases, class diagrams, and interaction diagrams--and describes the notation and semantics clearly and succinctly. He also outlines useful non-UML techniques such as CRC cards and patterns. These descriptions are made even more relevant with a collection of best practices based on the primary author's experience and a brief Java programming example demonstrating the implementation of a UML-based design. With this tour of the key parts of the UML, readers will be left with a firm foundation upon which to build models and develop further knowledge of the Unified Modeling Language.
Praise for the First Edition
"UML Distilled is a recipient of the prestigious 1997 Software Development Magazine Productivity Award in the Books category. Addison-Wesley congratulates authors Martin Fowler and Kendall Scott for their outstanding work."
"This book is a godsend. It is packed with solid advice presented in a concise and highly readable way. The essence of the notations is explained very well indeed but the author goes beyond this to give very clear insights into the application of UML techniques."
—Jennifer Stapleton, Vice President Technical, British Computer Society
"UML Distilled is well written, knowledgeable about both systems development and UML, and disarmingly honest."
—Robert L. Glass, The Software Practitioner (March 1998)
"UML Distilled proves that you can say a lot of useful things about computing in a small book."
—Gregory V. Wilson, Dr. Dobb's Journal
Booknews
A pioneer in the field provides software developer users of this industry standard with a foundation for integrating the Unified Modeling Language into the object-oriented development process, in the context of its history. Appends modeling techniques and their uses, and changes between UML versions. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Editorials
From Barnes & Noble
The Barnes & Noble ReviewUML 2 represents the most significant overhaul to UML since it was first agreed upon. One thing hasn’t changed, though: UML Distilled is the place to begin.
Over the years, Martin Fowler’s short book has collected raves from folks who know...folks like Jim Rumbaugh and Stephen J. Mellor. It’s just so accessible, clear, realistic -- and so well-focused on the essence of UML. This edition’s no exception.
Many folks treat UML as a tool for informal, collaborative “sketching”: roughing out issues and alternatives or clarifying a legacy system’s behavior. This may be the only UML book they’ll ever need. Others use it to build exhaustive blueprints for coding. Some are even trying to compile UML diagrams directly to executable code: The UML is the source. Blueprinters and “executable XML” types will eventually need to go beyond this book’s 170 pages, but Fowler does a superb job of getting them started.
After a thoughtful essay on integrating UML into your workflow, he introduces each “official” UML diagram type. He begins with class diagrams -- from the basics through advanced topics such as parameterization. There’s a solid introduction to use cases: the diagrams, when to use them, and how they relate to features and “user stories.” There’s expert coverage of state machine diagrams, from internal activities to concurrent states.
Among the many UML 2 updates: a new chapter on composite structures for describing classes hierarchically (very helpful in managing complexity). There’s also far more coverage of activity diagrams, which have been extensively enhanced to permit the modeling of complex processes. If you’re new to UML, you’ll admire this slim volume -- as you use it to start getting results, fast. Bill Camarda
Bill Camarda is a consultant, writer, and web/multimedia content developer. His 15 books include Special Edition Using Word 2000 and Upgrading & Fixing Networks for Dummies, Second Edition.