Convergent Architecture: Building Model Driven J2EE Systems with UML

Rating:
Summary: Exactly what I've been looking for for a long time
Review: When I got this book, I was primarily interested in MDA. The author provides is a clear outline of the concept of "IT architectural style", something that is greatly missing in the IT industry. Hubert's work is pleasantly different from other books in that it does not try to promote any specific technology as the exclusive solution to all IT problems. Instead, you get a generally applicable conceptual framework and one specific implementation of this concept. The book is of great value for a great variety of readers. IT consultants, CEOs and CIOs will find the more abstract descriptions on architectural style and IT architecture of particular interest. Project managers and IT managers will benefit from the chapters detailing the MDA approach. And even if you just want to know how to organize an IT department in a meaningful way, this book is what you should read.

Rating:
Summary: Exactly what I've been looking for for a long time
Review: When I got this book, I was primarily interested in MDA. The author provides is a clear outline of the concept of "IT architectural style", something that is greatly missing in the IT industry. Hubert's work is pleasantly different from other books in that it does not try to promote any specific technology as the exclusive solution to all IT problems. Instead, you get a generally applicable conceptual framework and one specific implementation of this concept. The book is of great value for a great variety of readers. IT consultants, CEOs and CIOs will find the more abstract descriptions on architectural style and IT architecture of particular interest. Project managers and IT managers will benefit from the chapters detailing the MDA approach. And even if you just want to know how to organize an IT department in a meaningful way, this book is what you should read.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: When I started this book, I was looking forward to an explanation of how to use the Convergent Architecture to create a J2EE application. What I found was a vague, confusing, and repetitive discussion that often reads as if it was in a tragic accident with a thesaurus. The idea behind the Convergent Architecture is not that complicated. We need to create a model driven architecture above UML that can link design and actual code development. Too often in this book the Convergent Architecture is not explained in terms of what it is but rather how it is like designing cathedrals, diesel engines, or jet planes. The author tells us that using the Convergent Architecture can reduce time up to 70% and that these numbers are endorsed by neutral parties but he gives us no information about these neutral parties. And he doesn't tell us what the 70% is actually compared to making these numbers useless for doing any evaluation. The book promises to be a "step-by-step" guide but instead reads like a corporate white paper designed to sell a product. And there is a product in here that the author is selling. He is the founding director of the company that makes a product that takes up the last two chapters of the book. The only part of the book that is "step-by-step" is the tutorial on how to use the author's product. Overall, I was very disappointed in a book that I looked forward to reading.