Java Modeling in Color with UML
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Enterprise Components and
Processes Peter Coad's book, Java Modeling in Color with UML, introduces both modelling in colour and feature-driven development. The Java Modeling in Color with UML book contains very little that is exclusively about working in Java. The important modeling techniques described are just as relevant to any other mainstream object-oriented programming language, such as C#, VB.Net, Delphi, and C++, as they are to Java. The UML notation is used throughout the book to communicate examples and model fragments but there is very little discussion about UML itself. Therefore, the Java and UML bits are frequently dropped from the title of the book and it, together with the techniques described within it, have come to be known as Modeling in Color in the USA and Modelling in Colour nearly everywhere else. It might be argued that the use of colour is also of secondary importance to that of modeling with class archetypes. However, the modelling in colour name has stuck and I have found the use of colour in this way to be a hugely helpful when learning and applying the technique. This is especially true when working with team members that are not familiar with modeling and might ordinarily be discouraged by the idea of using UML notation. |
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The material in the book builds on work described in Peter Coad's previous books and was inspired by work done with Peter on a project in Singapore where co-author Jeff De Luca was the project manager and I was the development manager. Other key figures involved were Phil Bradley (chief programmer), Paul Szego (chief programmer) and David Anderson (user interface consultant). The book has received mixed reviews on web sites like amazon.com but I suspect that is due more to the writing style and presentation than the actual ideas. Those who have spent the small amount of time required to really understand and try out the modelling in colour technique generally find it very powerful and helpful. The sixth chapter introducesFeature-Driven Development, the process invent by co-author Jeff De Luca. The chapters in between present example object models built using the modelling in colour technique. A large number of popular application areas are covered. As well as illustrating various object modelling principles, the example models make useful starting point for those designing software in these problem domains. The book was published in 1999 and soon after that Peter switched from a technical role to a management role as CEO and cofounder of newly formed TogetherSoft. However, one of the first things Peter did as CEO was to hire a number of people he had worked closely with, including myself, to be Coad-Certified Mentors (CCM). These he tasked with promoting, teaching, and building on the modeling in color technique and related topics. TogetherSoft was purchased by Borland a few years ago and Peter has now moved on to other spheres of interest. I receive an acknowledgment in the front of the book along with other members of the Singapore team that first used the modelling in colour technique and FDD process. |
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