• Would you like to understand the most important elements of Class diagrams? (See page 35.)

• Do you want to see the new UML 2.0 interaction frame notation for adding control flow to sequence diagrams (see page 58) and the unofficial notation that many prefer? (See page 60.)

• Do you want to know what changes have been made to all versions of the UML? (See page 151.)

• Do you want a quick reference to the most useful parts of the UML notation? (See the inside covers.)

• Do you want to find out what diagram types were added to the UML 2.0 without wading through the spec? (See page 11.)

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 110 Ratings

One of the best UML books available. - 2009-06-08
Reviewer Rating:
This is one of the best UML books available. Suitable for both the person new to UML and the seasoned practitioner. As the title suggests, focuses on the essentials of UML used for most projects and not the rarely used nuances. Be sure to get the 3rd edition with the coverage of UML 2.

If you only want one book on the UML... - 2009-03-25
Reviewer Rating:
If you only want one book on the unified modeling language (UML), this should probably be it. I actually read UML Distilled before any formal introduction to OOAD, and it made perfect sense. Let it suffice to say that OO languages, terminology, and modeling with UML are easy enough, but to actually solve problems you need *experience* and *patterns*.

If you're new to OOAD and patterns, I recommend Applying UML and Patterns by Craig Larman. Larman's book is a great introduction, but you probably wouldn't want to use it as a UML reference. For one thing, he introduces UML notation on a need-to-know basis - leaving it scattered throughout the book.

UML Distilled, on the other hand, is concerned entirely with the UML, though Fowler does a brilliant job of keeping it in context. To paraphrase, 'the UML is many things to many people.' He hides neither his scepticism that UML will ever supplant textual programming languages nor his disdain for the design-by-committee approach that produced it.

I remember the first time I used UML, on a class project, and just as Fowler warns against, we wasted a lot of time on getting the diagrams "complete" and "correct." The result was admittedly a lot of illegible, boring, and meaningless documentation. Pity I didn't read this book sooner.

To spare the novice modeler this trouble, Fowler focuses on and gives advice for those diagrams he finds most useful. Since the UML has some common notation, much of it need only be defined once, and can then be recalled at need or mixed in other diagrams. The goal as with any language is to communicate effectively, thus Fowler's motto 'less is more.'

Buried in between numerous figures and diagrams are bits of Fowler's own experience. If you're new to software development, it's worth getting this book just to read some of those guidelines. There's even a chapter on software development, which might just convince you to explore topics such as agile development, patterns, or the Unified Process. It certainly worked for me!

This book would find a good home on any OO modeler's bookshelf. What's more, it's fairly light, so it proves very convenient to flip it open and either glance at the notations on the inside covers or quickly find the diagram you need within.

Useful Introduction to UML Diagrams - 2009-06-07
Reviewer Rating:
This was an easy read and a good introduction to many useful UML diagrams. Fowler also points out the strengths and weaknesses of each and how they can be best used in software development. I will use what I have learned in reading this book to help me design and document my software and more confidently collaborate with my colleagues in a geographically distributed software team.

Average Book from a Well Respected Programmer - 2009-04-25
Reviewer Rating:
This is an average UML book. It is generally well written, and does a broad coverage of the topic. However, it could be better if more examples are provided. The quick-reference system on the backs of both front and back cover pages is of great value for quick references.

As a side note, although Chapter 2 on Development Process does not have much to do with UML in general, I find it to be of great value.

It is not what it should have been - 2009-03-31
Reviewer Rating:
I have been reading this book for the last 10 days chapter after chapter. I definitely feel there is some good content in the book. However it not what it should have been.

I read a comment on this book saying author padded lot of stuff. I do agree with that up to some extent.

This is what I expected from this book:

1. 2/3 chapters explaining various UML diagrams
2. Solving different problems using UML
3. Exercises & Quizs

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