Reviews for UML 2.0 in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference (In a Nutshell (O'Reilly))

1. Good choice

   Rated 4 out of 5 stars, December 12th, 2009

   Nice book, lots of information, consistent, lots of examples & focus on what is essential & not details.
   
   Overall If you've got to start using UML quickly it's a very good choice!

2. Just what you need when you are not a geek

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, September 12rd, 2009

   The book is clear, consise and structured. The best thing about this book is what is left out, so you don't have to read through all kinds of academic discussions. Perfect for developers who want to start using UML for documenting their designs. If you are an academic or an architect and need the in-depth details, you should choose another book - or use this one as an appetizer.

3. Great overview of UML

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, September 12th, 2008

   This is my second copy after a client stole my first one. That says a lot in itself, this book is simple enough that non-technical folk can learn what UML is about. Great for Managers who are left in wonder what their teams are doing... I'm a technical consultant and I find it a useful basic reference book for UML.

4. A good, if slightly clunky, quick reference

   Rated 4 out of 5 stars, May 12st, 2007

   The aim of this book is to describe and explain a modelling language in as domain-neutral a way as possible. By necessity, therefore, some of the exposition and presentation can be quite abstract. Given the task, the authors do a reasonable job of explaining UML syntax. However, clear English is not always evident. Take, for example, the discussion of interfaces on p. 30:
   
   "You can use interfaces to group common elements between classifiers and provide a contract a classifier that provides an implementation of an interface must obey."
   
   For a "Quick Reference" I was a little surprised at how text heavy the book could be. It often took a fair amount of wading through text to get to the explanation of a symbol used in a diagram. It would have been nice to see a few more diagram legends listing the symbols used in each diagram type along with a name and brief description.
   
   I also had a few usability issues with the layout. There are frequent references in the text to diagrams found on the previous or next page, interrupting the flow. The same goes for the overuse of cross-referencing during explanations of concepts and diagrams. The flow is constantly interrupted by having to jump around the text.
   
   I would like to have seen a little more in chapter 12: Effective Diagramming - it felt hurried and brief.
   
   Aside from these issues, this is a good book and will help the reader get up to speed with all the various UML diagrams in a few days.
   
   
   
   

5. Really good book. Is what it says on the cover.

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, April 12th, 2007

   Over time I have sort of made up my own notation and as I have to write an exam now, I have to brush up the odd one or two things. At fist glance this book is a little thin (216 Pages) for a UML book but this is not because there is nothing good in it, this is because the author managed to get all the information needed in a few sentences that are very easy to understand. Reading one chapter not only explains the UML to you in a clear and easy way it also explains the underlying OO principles. A brilliant book if you just want to use UML and not get the 600 page official manual.