Has anyone used UML?

[DJ]

ANother good book (meaning, not so thick) is "UML DIstilled" by Fowler.
You can get a good feel for UML, and also catch some cross currents, in
< 200 pages.

The UML User Guide is nice too, but you get a lot of "sell" from the
originators;
and the text is verbose, making one wonder if the authors ever heard of
Strunk & White.

UML and Python ? Hmm, probably more like Perl and VBScript... Python is
for people who want their code to be reused ;)

-D

John Bell <jbellprj at iinet.net.au> wrote in message
news:3B1A5D10.A7139942 at iinet.net.au...
> Hi Frank,
>
> I've used a couple of formal methodologies in my time and am just getting
into
> UML.  The book that I'm reading is by the authors of UML:  "The Unified
> Modeling Language User Guide" Grady Booch, James Rumbaugh and Ivor
Jacobsen;
> Addison Wesley Longman;  ISBN 0-201-57168-4.  This is a decent starting
point.
> They also do a UML Reference Manual (ISBN 0-201-30998-X) which I haven't
> bought.  They're both part of a HUGE series (about 60 books) by AWL on the
> topic.
>
> An important point is that UML is only part of the overall methodology
they
> recommend.  All three authors work for Rational Software (the people who
make
> Rational Rose, the leading commercial UML product) who recomend an
approach
> documented in "The Unified Software Development Process" (Same authors
ISBN
> 0-201-57169-2) which I also haven't read.
>
> If you're interrested in Software then I know of the following that's not
in
> the commercial arena:
>
> * I read the other day that the new version of dia (0.88.1) to some degree
> supports UML for Python specifically!  I downloaded it yesterday (from
> Sourceforge I think) but haven't looked at it yet.
>
> * There are a couple of Python specific UML projects underway on
sourceforge
> but they seem to be pre-alpha.
>
> * When I bought the Workstation Deluxe version of Redhat 7.0 there was
some S/W
> called metaedit+ included that is a major league UML kit.  See
> www.metacase.com.  Note that this was 7.0.  I haven't got my 7.1 set yet
and
> don't know if it's included.
>
> The key site to look at (if you haven't already) is www.omg.com (click on
the
> UML icon.
>
> As I said I'm pretty early in the process of looking at all this.  I've
gone
> through the tutorial that comes with Metaedit+ and I'm about half way
through
> the UML User Guide.  My first impressions are that this is a GOOD THING.
I
> gave up seat of the pants programming when I left uni but have found my
normal
> methodologies don't work so well with Python.  I'm always retrofitting
classes
> rather than designing from a class based approach.  This often leads to
massive
> rewrites that are wasteful.  Luckily my Python work is for my own business
> rather than for a customer!  I'm hopeful that UML will lead to me writing
> better Python the first time.
>
> John
>
> Frank Millman wrote:
>
> > After 15 years of designing applications using the good old "seat of the
> > pants" method, I have decided that, if I am to move forward, I need a
more
> > formal methodology.
> >
> > I have recently read about UML (Unified Modelling Language), a
> > standards-based method of designing and documenting any software
project. It
> > looks interesting, but it seems to have a steep learning curve.
> >
> > Does anyone have any knowledge or experience of UML that they would like
to
> > share?
> >
> > TIA
> >
> > Frank Millman
>
> --
>
> Regards,
> John Bell
>
>
>