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BShive writes "Developing Applications with Java and UML focuses on building and modeling industrial-strength Java applications. The book takes you step-by-step through a product lifecycle and software process. You do not need to know UML or OO Design, as both new and experienced Java developers will benefit from reading this book. It is highly focused on process, so developers will have to put aside the 'jump in and code' attitude." Read on below for the remainder of his review. Developing Applications with Java and UML author Paul R. Reed, Jr. pages 463 publisher Addison-Wesley rating 9 reviewer Ben Shive ISBN 0201702525 summary Developing Applications with Java and UML focuses on building and modeling industrial-strength Java applications. The book takes you step-by-step through a product lifecycle and software process.

Each chapter begins with a brief summary and a list of the goals. After reading the book through, both should be useful. Each chapter also closes with a 'checkpoint' that summarizes what has been covered in the chapter and what is to come.

The first chapter sets up the entire book by outlining some of the project problems encountered in software development. Once the author gets into development models, the Unified Process from Rational Software, a huge and detailed software process, is introduced. The book focuses on only using the elements that provide the biggest 'bang for the buck'. The Unified Process is the focal process of the book, but the Synergy Process is a free alternative, only lacking some additional guidelines and how-to's. A short overview of UML is covered, along with its' place is in the software process. He notes that a project that just uses UML in a vacuum without a sound process and plan will fail.

The second chapter briefly discusses the Java language alongside the concept of Object Oriented Programming. Experienced Java programmers could skip this section if they wished. The section is worth skimming as a lead-in to the explanation of how Java and UML are a good fit.

Chapter three, Starting the Project is the first time the book delves into the meat of how to structure a project. The example scenario that is followed through the book is introduced, and throughout the book real-world examples are used that relate to the sample project. Every theory in the book that is translated into some kind of example the reader can pull apart and examine.

Through the next few chapters use-cases and class diagrams are covered, leading up to building a user interface (UI) prototype. Personally, I've never used UML for anything but sculpting class diagrams for export. This is the point in the book where I started to see how the rest of the project is able to use UML and tie it all together. Being able to model the classes and easily export them is very powerful, but even more so when combined with the rest of the ways you can employ UML in your project.

The following chapters are much like the first few that began to talk about the sample project. There is no Java code until chapter 9, halfway through the book. This is not the book to get if you are only interested in how to use UML as a base to dump out some code.

Throughout the book the content remained interesting, and relevant. Do not expect to sit down and read it from beginning to end. There is a great deal of material covered and no topic that was inadequately explored. Using the sample project consistently throughout the process was invaluable, along with the samples and source code provided. Alongside the process, the real life anecdotes and comments provided were a welcome addition instead of an intrusion. The author is someone who's seen the mistakes that could be avoided. For example, an application with 70,000 lines of Java code that only contained two classes.

Having talked about the depth and detail of the book, this was also one of the bad points as well simply since it takes so long to get through. People already well experienced in running a project with similar phases will find it much faster reading. The other issue is the expense of the tools and products involved. Rational Rose, the Rational Unified Process and WebLogic are rather expensive products. Thankfully there are alternatives that he mentions in the book, and others as well. Visio, the Synergy Process and Tomcat are all possible alternates. Surprisingly, Tomcat is used in his example setup.

I had left the rating at 8 throughout most of my reading while considering the positives and negatives. However, when I finished the book I bumped the rating up to 9 simply because of the wealth of information I learned. Anyone aspiring to run a team project with Java should read this book. In the corporate arena, most of the battle is not the code, but understanding what the users want and what will be created. Following any kind of process will improve the result, even if only a few key elements are used.

Chapters:
1. The Project Dilemma
2. Java, Object-Oriented Analysis and Design, and UML
3. Starting the Project
4. Use-Cases
5. Classes
6. Building a User Interface Prototype
7. Dynamic Elements of the Application
8. The Technology Landscape
9. Data Persistence: Storing the Objects
10. Infrastructure and Architecture Review
11. Constructing a Solution: Servlets, JSP and JavaBeans
12. Constructing a Solution: Servlets, JSP and Enterprise JavaBeans

Appendix:
A. The Unified Project Plans
B. The Synergy Process Project Plan
C. Estimating Projects on the Basis of Use-Cases
D. Sample Project Output
E. BEA WebLogic Application Server

You can purchase Developing Applications with Java and UML from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.

akira-x writes "I spotted a link to an interesting (and disturbing) article on Gnutella News regarding some comments that were made by Steve Heckler, senior vice president of Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. According to him, Napster WILL lose, because "The [music] industry will take whatever steps it needs to protect itself and protect its revenue streams. It will not lose that revenue stream, no matter what." The disturbing part is what Heckler says Sony will attempt to do to help them win: "Sony is going to take aggressive steps to stop this," Heckler told the Summer Forty-Niner. "We will develop technology that transcends the individual user. We will firewall Napster at source -- we will block it at your cable company, we will block it at your phone company, we will block it at your [Internet-service provider]. We will firewall it at your PC." "

In this episode of slashback, there's more on NanoStuff, censorship in various forms and venues, and further proof that the word "upstart" uttered or tapped in computer journalism regarding Linux is ever so much twaddle. You have been warned.

Sorry, but the print doesn't get any smaller. If the recent release of the Foresight Institute's nanotech guidelines intriguing to you, you might want to check out the new forum for nanotech advances and issues. bento writes: "From the press release: "I'm happy to report that one of Foresight's long-term goals -- to have a way to meet online that truly works -- is now a reality at http://nanodot.org. We think of this site as our daily newspaper -- all the news that's fit to "print" -- combined with a continual Nanoschmooze discussion. No login is needed to read the site." For those who are interested in nanotechnology's social and technological implications, this site should prove a great resource in finding out what's up in the field of nanotechnology."

One man's trash is other people's trash, too. psxndc writes: "FGNOnline has the scoop about the Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association unveiling new packaging options for PC Games at their annual conference. It brings up the point about games with large documentation not fitting into smaller DVD-type Keep Cases, but wasn't the digital revolution supposed to cut down if not eliminate the need for paper in the first place?? Most game-box contents are a jewel-cased CD, some docs, some ads, and a whole lot of unused space? Why?" Well, in the bad old days of the CD longbox (which are not that long ago), the most commonly cited reasons for the box of mostly-air were 1) the space is helpful for marketing purposes (pictures and blurbs and artwork, oh my!) and 2) everyone's favorite eupehmism for shoplifting, "shrinkage." Probably the same rules apply; game makers want to "stand out on the shelf." But if CDs can handle the switch, I bet games can, too.

How will the children survive? CuriousGeorge113 writes: "In a major decision today, a Federal Appeals Court has struck down COPA (The Children's Online Protection Act). According to this ACLU Press Release, a federal appeals court has deemed the law unconstitutional in nature and 'impossible to establish one "community standard" by which Internet speech could be governed.' You can also see the official court case here."

And in news that can only be called related ... Rude Turnip writes: "It looks like Mattel, one of the most despised toy companies discussed on Slashdot, is sellling off its notorious Cyber Patrol censorware. Cyber Patrol's parent company, The Learning Co., which is also owned by Mattel, is being sold off separately. Mattel said they would like to concentrate on their "core competency" of toys. The lucky buyer of Cyber Patrol is the British firm, JSB Software Technologies, PLC, who paid $100 million. With people like Jamie McCarthy out there fighting these purveyours of censorship and great sites like peacefire.org, I bet JSB will soon realize they paid just a little too much :-)" Maybe it's just not a sellers market; the article indicating that Cyber Patrol was to be sold went up a few months ago.

In six years, Tux will be driving. xannax writes: "I just bought a new IWILL VD133 motherboard, and after the usual setup and such, popped in the configuration cdrom - and was suprised to see a Linux kernel boot up on the monitor. When the cd boots, it gives users without an fdisk'ed partition a chance to make disks for board and chipset config; but the neat thing is the use of Linux for the cd. I mean, two years ago, when I wore my "Penguin Power" t-shirt, most of the attention I got was from hockey fans. But just as the logo on the shirt has faded from repeated washing, the exact opposite has happened to the visibility of the Linux OS; it's gone from hackers and nerds only to mainstream. Great to see a company with a reputation like IWILL use Linux in this fashion."

Come sirrah Jack Straw! MrM writes: "An IDG.net story on CNN says that in the face of increasing pressure from privacy groups, business groups and Internet service providers (ISPs), the U.K. government is backing away from some of the more controversial aspects of its e-mail surveillance bill currently under consideration in the House of Lords." The controversy is mostly over little things like, oh, (from the article) "Under the provisions of the RIP bill, the U.K. government -- specifically the Home Office and its head, the Home Secretary -- can demand encryption keys to any and all data communications with a prison sentence of two years for those who do not comply with the order."