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Object-Oriented Software Engineering by Ivar Jacobson Recommended with Reservations

ISBN: 0-201-54435-0       Publisher: Addison-Wesley       Pages: 524pp       Price: £29-95

Categories:   object oriented     engineering     modelling languages

Reviewed by Chris Hills in C Vu 5-2 (Jan 1993)

The aim of the book is to present a coherent picture of how to use object- orientation in system development (not OOProgramming). Though there are a few lines of c++, smalltalk, Effiel and Ada. It succeeds in this aim.

The authors give a suggested reading list of the chapters depending on your level and what you want to learn. There are even sections on project staffing and documentation. The book is designed for working software engineers. The whole text feels rooted in the real world not a theoretical model. According to the jacket the methods have been used for major real time telecomms projects.

There are two complete case studies, a warehouse system (DBMS) and a telecomms system (real-time switching). Both get down to code (fragment) level. Between them they show most aspects of Object Orientation.

I like the feel of this book, it is in plain English. It will be kept at hand. I showed this book to a SW project leader, he is buying a copy. Enough said.

Comment: Following my own rules, I have to record a second opinion. I entirely agree with much that Chris says but I believe he has skated round a very important point, the author's English is exceptionally opaque. I felt so strongly about this that I wrote to the publishers. They agreed that it the author could have done with some more editorial support as the book read like an under-edited translation even though it was an original. This is not surprising because the principle author's mother tongue is not English. I often found myself having to read a sentence twice to decide what the author meant because the syntax, though correct, did not produce readable English. As always, I would welcome other opinions. - Francis Glassborow.