UML (panel): the language of blueprints for software?

ABSTRACT

The Unified Method was launched by Grady Booch and Jim Rumbaugh at an OOPSLA'95 Conference Fringe meeting organised by Rational Software Corporation. In 1996 the Unified Method was re-scoped to a notation, and renamed the Unified Modeling Language (UML).Earlier this year, UML was submitted to the Object Management Group for standardisation and has been endorsed by Microsoft, IBM, HP, Platinum Technologies, ObjectTime and many other corporations. No wonder UML is the leading contender as the de facto standard notation for object-oriented analysis and design.The panel will take a sanity check, and will go beyond the hype and newsgroup flames and attempt to form an objective view of UML and its prospects.The members of the panel have been working closely with UhL in many different roles, including that of UML language designer, end-user, consultant, CASE tool expert, and object-oriented methodologist. The discussion will focus on how LJML matches up in practice against one of its original. raisons d'etre as "the language of blueprints for software".Specific issues to be addressed include:• What is the advantage of UML over existing OOA/D notations?• Can UML be used on real projects today?• Is the language sufficiently simple, and well-enough defined, to become the de facto standard?• Will UML lead to improved OOA/D methods and CASE tools?• What is the importance of the meta-model in UML?

References

1. 1.Booeh, G. (1994). Object-Oriented Analysis and Design. Redwood City, California: The Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Company, Inc.
2. 2.Jaeobson, I., M. Christerson, P. Jonsson, and G. Overgard (1995). Object-Oriented Software Engineering: A Use Case Driven Approach. Menlo Park, California: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company.
3. 3.Rumbaugh, J. (1996). OMT Insights. New York, New York: SIGS Books.
4. 4.Rumbaugh, J., M. Blaha, W. Premerlani, F. Eddy, and W. Lorenson (1991). Object-Oriented Modeling and Design. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
5. 5.van Harmelen, M., J. Artim, K. Buffer, A. Henderson, D. Roberts, M. B. Rosson, J. Tarby, and S. Wilson (1997). Object Models in User Interface Design: CHI'97 Workshop Summary. in preparation for SIGCHI Bulletin, October 1997.

Index Terms

• Computing methodologies

  • Modeling and simulation

    • Simulation support systems

      • Simulation languages

• Software and its engineering

  • Software notations and tools

    • General programming languages

      • Language types