Book Review
The book begins with a 150-page general introduction to object-
orientation, which is very good of its kind. It is not slanted to any one
language, and includes among many other good points a clear exposition of the
important distinction between class structure hierarchy and object structure
hierarchy.
Booch's own diagrammatic notations for class, object, state transition,
timing, module, and process diagrams are described. These have been
developed over several years, and have influenced other diagram designers.
An apparent omission is that c++ friends are mentioned in the general
introduction but not in the diagrams.
The design process is succinctly described in ten pages, followed by an
excellent chapter ( entitled 'Pragmatics') on sound management practices.
Five design applications follow, mainly in considerable detail (250 pages in
total), and each for a different language:
- A heating control system using Smalltalk is described at great
length. It does not employ either classical or modern algebraic control
theory but develops object classes from first principles, pointing out both
benefits and shortcomings of the language.
- A Graphical User Interface implementation with a class library is
considered in the context of a simple optics model, using Object Pascal and
Apple's MacApp object-oriented framework. This is a more typical application
to study, and it bears a resemblance to Borland's new TurboVision and
ObjectVision.
- Next follows a C++ application concerning interfacing to a relational
database, in which classes are proposed to extend the functionality of the
usual SQL database interface.
- A cryptanalysis program is presented in the CLOS language. All I can say
about this is that like the rest of the book it is supplied with references
to enable you to pursue a topic further. These are comprehensive and extend
to early 1990.
- A chapter on train traffic management in Ada is too skimpy to be of much
practical use.
The book concludes with a brief overview of object-oriented languages, a
glossary, and a good classified bibliography.
The production and binding are above average, with end-papers which
conveniently summarise the graphical notations.
Booch's book is definitely worth reading, henceforth I shall recommend it on
my own courses as the best single source of object-oriented design
information.
Other
Authors with the same surname
Booch
Best of Booch by Grady Booch [Recommended] (Reviewed Jan 1998)
Object Solutions - Managing the Object-Oriented Project by Grady Booch [Recommended] (Reviewed Jul 1996)
Object Solutions by Grady Booch [Highly Recommended] (Reviewed May 1996)
Unified Modelling Language Reference Manual, The by Booch & Jacobson & Rumbaugh [Recommended] (Reviewed May 1999)
Unified Modelling Language User Guide, The by Booch & Jacobson & Rumbaugh [Recommended] (Reviewed Mar 1999)
Last Update - 13 May 2001.
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