The Object Primer: Agile Model-Driven Development with UML 2.0 3rd Edition

The author has an excellent pedagogical style. As a result, this book is easy to read. Another plus is that the book covers a lot of ground, including the development spectrum (requirements, analysis, design, coding, testing, etc.), GUI modeling, data modeling, and database modeling, so most readers will be broadened by reading it. Another plus is that the author regularly shares what he has learned from personal experience. I found two minor annoyances. First, CONSTANTLY being reminded to produce models that are "just barely good enough" was like Chinese water torture. Secondly, the book practices what it preaches: instead of depicting models drawn using automated tools, in many cases the book depicts models drawn on a whiteboard by human hand, because that's "good enough." The problem is that in many cases I didn't find it good enough because the penmanship was such that I had a hard time reading the handwriting. Bottom line: if you want an up-to-date, introductory book that covers a lot of ground, this book has a lot of meat in it, it won't put you to sleep, and you'll almost certainly learn something.

I am an experienced analyst looking for an antidote to the RUPies use-case-jaundiced view of requirements. This book provided the perfect foil to the sentiment that use cases are all that is in the requirements universe.It is not meant to be an exhaustive treatise of UML models, rather, it offers a different and, to me, refreshing view of what requirements for system building are supposed to be: agile, responsive and as varied as the projects that they are used on.Additionally, the writing is light enough to be enjoyed and (what a novel idea) actually read. I have read Mr. Jacobson's books as well as Mr. Rumbaugh's. Albeit their authority status, their writing styles leave you wondering who they were writing for. It certainly wasn't me.If you are looking for an alternative to the use-cases-as-panacea view of the world, this book will present a good fundamental look at how to get requirements written in a different way. And along the way, you will have a good time reading the book.

The Object Primer is aimed at software engineers and architects with a good bit of experience. For that audience it is a well-written, clearly illustrated introduction to object concepts, UML, and agile development.A warning: even though the book says that everyone involved in analysis, design, and delivery should read this book, I think it would probably be over the heads of most non-technical business analysts.

The book I ordered arrived at-or-before the promised date in as advertised-or-better condition. I would order from this merchant again. Thank you !

Love

I bought this because I needed to get more firmly grounded in UML. I already had Ambler's "Elements of UML 2.0 Style" which points to this book as one possible way to get it. The other book he suggested was Fowler's "UML Distilled", but he claims his own book "goes beyond UML".I liked the idea of learning UML in a software engineering context, especially one that emphasizes Agile programming. But that's not what I got. This is a long discourse on development models, with some bits and pieces of UML thrown in. Most of it is in a single chapter, with very few illustrations (for a visual language!). Really, UML is an afterthought.I can't comment on the quality of Ambler's methods for software engineering -- I'm a technical writer, not a developer. What I needed was enough about Agile development to enable me to work with Agile teams. But from my limited understanding of Agile methods, I suspect that this is just old-fashioned software engineering in Agile drag.So, this book has "UML" and "Agile" in the title, but isn't really about either. Buzzword compliance.

For those who want a quick, fun introduction and intermediate mastery of UML 2.0 without getting sidetracked in all the esoteric notation that is rarely used, this is your book. I have used it since its release (and the edition before that) for teaching UML and good Object Oriented Design concepts. Many will throw stones (UML Purists that are more interested in UML Metamodel Purity then getting systems built for example) but don't let that phase you. If you need to learn UML 2.0 and have fun doing it, this book will do an incredible job for you. Scott writes in a very accessible style, not trying to show off his deep technical knowledge of UML (which he has). I admire him for writing this book as it is a tremendous service to our community. He simply wants people to get working as fast as possible. I admire his ability to have such a deep grasp of UML yet not flaunt it and distill things down to the necessary 20% that is all you need 80% of the time. More accurately, perhaps it is more accurate to say he covers the necessary 35%-40% that covers 90% of what you need to be effective.The negative reviews come from people who are likely purists or are taken aback by his somewhat fun and informal style. As we have seen with books such as `Head First Design Patterns' I have seen greater success with books that take this format for people who are starting out. The other books can come later if needed.You can buy much more academic books that will go into great detail on the semantic meanings of UML 2.0 model elements such as stereotypes that are almost never used or understood, advanced concepts in categorizing classes in a class diagram that are rarely used, etc. but you will rarely see any of them in practice. Rather then waste your time learning these items why not learn what you need to learn so you and your team can start communicating in Visual Diagrams as quickly and efficiently as possibly?Kind Regards,Damon Carr

I expected something boring and dry judging by the cover (I know...) but it was actually a really good read and very useful (most of it).

OK

I bought this book with some expectation, to understand more about UML and OOP development.The preface of the book under the paragraph "Why Read The Object Primer ?"Probably the author throw a bunch of words only to make the book thick.1)There isn't a sequence I could learn from,2)I had to buy other books to understand the concepts which "The Object Primer" failed to present.3) The book lacks a sequential process with defined phases,4) the diagrams are manually done and after read the book I couldn't know what comes first,should I start with and class diagram or with a Activity diagram.5)There isn't a valid study of case, the author jumps around throwing disconnected concepts6)Fail to give any example in Java or C# as was promised in the Preface7)There is nothing about "practical skill" as the author offers in the preface again.I would say that for $66, I really can find better books.I have to translate what the author tried to sayFor me it is a book without useful value, just one more in my shelf instead on my desk.