Editorial Reviews:
ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY
What it is: UML (Unified Modeling Language) is a graphical modeling language used to specify, visualize, construct, and document applications and software systems, which are implemented with components and object-oriented programming languages, such as Java, C++, and Visual Basic. UML incorporates the object-oriented community's consensus on core modeling concepts and provides a standard way for developers to communicate the details of system design and development. In addition to object-oriented modeling of applications, UML is also used for business-process modeling, data modeling, and XML modeling.
Purpose of modeling: Models for software systems are as important as having a blueprint for a large building, or an outline for a book. Good models enhance communication among project teams and assure architectural soundness. The more complex the software system, the more important it is to have models that accurately describe the system and can be understood by everyone. UML helps provide this via a standard for graphical diagrams. Just like an architect can understand the notations on any blueprint, UML enables software engineers and business managers to understand the design of any software system, even if the original designers have long left the company.
Organization behind it: Object Management Group (OMG) (www.omg.org). (UML Resource Page at OMG Web site is www.omg.org/uml.) The OMG produces and maintains the UML standard, an internationally recognized standard. The OMG is an open membership, not-for-profit consortium that produces and maintains computer industry specifications for interoperable enterprise applications. Its membership roster (about 800) includes just about every large company in the computer industry and hundreds of smaller ones. Most of the companies that shape enterprise and Internet computing are represented on the OMG's Board of Directors.
Companies that contributed to the UML Standard: Realizing that UML would be strategic to their business, the following companies contributed their ideas to the first UML standard: Digital Equipment Corp, HP, i-Logix, IntelliCorp, IBM, ICON Computing, MCI, Microsoft, Oracle, Rational Rose, TI, and Unisys.
Companies that use UML: It is safe to say that all Fortune 1000 companies are currently using UML, or are moving toward UML to model and design their applications and systems. This includes companies from all vertical industries, from Coca Cola to Warner Brothers, from CVS Pharmacy to Lockhead Martin Aerospace. You name the company - if they have an IT department, they are using UML.
Customer Reviews:
Displaying 1 to 5 of 14 total reviews (Page 1 of 3):
 Title is Misleading
I think the book was good but the title is misleading. The author fails to engage the reader with "lab work" that would truley be needed to be a weekend course. It simply has text and review queestions wich is not enough interaction to keep a person engaged in the material. So what happend to me was that by Saturday morning I wasn't involved enough to continue. Now I just pick up the book during down time at work and read a chapter here and there. I think it is an easy read but I wish I was actually applying the information as I learn it.  A Simple & Straight-forward Approach to Learning UML
A number of books have been written about the "Unified Modeling Language" (UML), but few are as easy to understand as the 2002 book "UML Weekend Crash Course" by Thomas A. Pender. Intended to be read over the course of a weekend (beginning on a Friday evening and ending on the following Sunday afternoon), the book is divided into six parts based upon time: Friday evening, Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon, Saturday evening, Sunday morning and Sunday afternoon. Now, just because the author intended that someone would be able to completely read the book over the course of a single weekend doesn't obligate any reader to do that. However, the reader should expect to obtain at least a basic understanding of the fundamental diagrams used in UML: use case diagrams, activity diagrams, class diagrams, object diagrams, sequence diagrams, collaboration diagrams, package diagrams, component diagrams and deployment diagrams. Of these, probably the most important are the use case diagrams, activity diagrams, class diagrams, sequence diagrams and package diagrams.
Though the author points out that UML diagrams can be done by hand, anyone who needs to use UML diagrams should use a software package to simplify their construction and storage because UML diagrams can become rather complex and may require periodic changes, especially when being used to design a new software application. Though there are a number of commercial applications available for UML design, there are also free UML design packages available for download from the Internet, including a few that are used interactively within software IDE's. (The latter may also have auto-code generation.)
As with any software language or modeling tool, it takes time to learn UML. In my opinion, the book "UML Weekend Crash Course" will accelerate that learning process, but you will no doubt require other UML resources (books & software), as well as experience. If you need to learn UML quickly, then I highly recommend this book, which I rate with 5 out of 5 stars. As an experienced software engineer, this book was an invaluable tool for learning UML and continues to be a useful reference.
Clear and direct
The book uses simple and direct language to explain the elements of UML. The examples clearly reveal the key concepts critical for understanding the modeling elements. The book has a perfect level of detail. Unlike other books I have started reading about UML, this book does not go into long commentaries or sidebars about UML, design, and standards. As a result the book allows one to work through the material quickly and will serve as an excellent long-term reference.  Not a bad book, but some annoying mistakes
For the most part, it is a pretty good book. I agree it would be difficult to finish in a weekend. Some annoying mistakes in a few places. For example, on p198-200 the figures are full of mistakes and don't follow along with the text. They are not too hard to correct, but you should not have to do so when you are trying to learn something new. I like this type of format for a book where you pace yourself and then have a review and quiz after a short session. Not too bad, but could be better. Long and obscure.
The name "UML Weekend Crash Course" is misleading. I don't think anyone can read and understand it in one weekend, unless of course he is reading about six times faster than me. This book has long and obscure sentences and too much of unnecessary information. The chapter on Object-Oriented principles is written so badly, that I doubt in the authors competence. It mentions two major OO postulates "encapsulation" and "inheritance" but leaves out the third one "polymorphism". But he rumbles on for pages about some unrelated stuff. Also, this book was published before the UML-2 standard came out, so it is somewhat outdated. I would recommend "UML Distilled" by Martin Fowler instead of this book. More Customer Reviews:
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(14 reviews)
