Unified Modeling Language (UML) is the best standardized way to graphically depict a complex software system. It makes a technical language of glyphs to portray software integrations so that large software efforts can be more easily understood by developers. Certifications exist that allow individuals to support UML professionally.
As a developer, the main problem I have with UML is that it itself is complex, often too onerous for my efforts. I deal with complex software, but usually only on smaller teams where we can keep the software in our heads. Maintaining a complex web of diagrams can become a big chore whose value is not always evident.
Recently, Mermaid markdown language has encouraged me to use UML at a smaller scale. Instead of keeping thorough specifications on drawing tools, Mermaid contributes a language to describe my thoughts and automatically generate the graphics for me. Automated generation makes maintenance easier. Mermaid transforms UML into more of a simple communication tool instead of an intricate documentation tool.
This book mainly uses Java to illustrate its concepts, but UML, like the concepts in the book, is language-agnostic. I work in a LAMP stack for web development, so perhaps Java-based developers might find this book more useful. The book also describes the finer aspects of the language that only UML experts will aspire to master. Overall, it provided me a helpful way to learn more about this language.
Learning UML 2.0: A Pragmatic Introduction to UML
By Russ Miles & Kim Hamilton
Copyright (c) 2006
O’Reilly
ISBN13 9780596009823
Page Count: 269
Genre: Computer Science
www.amazon.com