Andrewj.comObserver
Architect
Developer
Photographer
Traveller
Writer
Reviewer
Thoughts on the World
    • Welcome PageArchitectDeveloperPhotographerTravellerWriterObserverReviewerLinks

Software Architecture Bootcamp

By Rapheal Malveau and Thomas J Mowbray PhD

Posted on 5 April 2002 by Andrew - Please share: All Addthis servicesTweet thisFacebook thisLink thisYam thisShare on Google

Summary


How do the rankings work?
Content 5/10
Readability 4/10
Presentation 3/10
Ideas 7/10
Value for money 6/10
Did it do what it said on the box? 7/10

The Review

A Game of Two Halves

Like the famous description of soccer, this book is very much a "game of two halves". Half the book, maybe more, discusses the role of a software architect – the architect’s approach, attitude, responsibilities, processes and techniques. This is excellent: clear and concise, encouraging if you are a newcomer but still stimulating if you are a more seasoned architect. It is without doubt one of the best descriptions I have read.

Unfortunately, the other half of the book is less useful. The technical parts are either too simplistic, or too detailed when discussing a particular solution favoured by the authors. The text frequently tends to become a repetitive and thinly-disguised commercial for CORBA, and there is an obsession with standards such as RM-ODP which are simply not relevant to a great many commercial developers. The few examples are very simplistic, with no real discussion of many of the technical issues which a real architecture must address.

The book would have been much better for more care in its editing and presentation. The quality of proof-reading is in general poor, but becomes quite appalling in some of the technical sections – evidence perhaps that the authors allowed their technical stance to dictate a poor choice of word processor. The choice of diagrams seems random: some are good, but some difficult discussions cry out for a diagram (horizontal and vertical partitioning, for example), while in other places a diagram confuses where the text is clear. The reference list is incomplete, omitting even the authors’ "primary" reference which is quoted, frequently, in the text. All this is doubly disappointing when you consider that one of the authors is the series editor, and both were co-authors of the excellent "AntiPatterns" book.

My advice: if you are happy with the technological side of software architecture, and want advice on how to be a better architect, then buy this book, but read chapters 5 through 9 before you even attempt to read the first part. If, however, you are seeking technical guidance in the real world of software from Microsoft, Oracle and a host of legacy systems, then look elsewhere.

Buy It From Amazon

Categories: Reviews. Content Types: Book and Software Architecture.

This entry was posted in Reviews. Bookmark the permalink.
Previous Post: IT Architectures and Middleware
---- Next Post: Inside the Third Reich

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Thoughts on the World Proudly powered by WordPress.

Main Pages

Welcome Page

Architect (Consultancy services)

Developer (Services and Products)

Photographer

Traveller

Writer (Publications and Papers)

Observer (My blog)

Reviewer

Links

Blog Contents

Post Category:

Review Type:

  • Recent Posts

    • When You Wish … A Different Approach To Sourcing
    • The World’s Worst Panorama 2023
    • Rainbows Rising
    • Have I Offended El Gauchito Gil?
    • We’re Going on a Guanaco Hunt!
  • Recent Comments

    • Divitel on It’s Screen Time!
    • Mike Parnell on Camera History
    • ValueBlue on What Do I Mean by "Agile Architecture"?
    • Robert on Combining Risk Factors
    • Paul M Turner on Typically Tropical!
  • Blog Indexes

    Favourite/Major Articles

    All Articles by Category

    All Articles by Title

    Review Index

    Search

    References to www.andrewj.com

    References to www.agilearchitect.org

    Contact Me

    Email me

    @TweetAndrewJ

    Others

    Share

    Facebook

    Google

    Twitter

    Linked In

    Yammer

    Share

    Feeds

    @TweetAndrewJ

    Thoughts on the World (Main Feed)

    Main feed (direct XML)

    Professional Blog

    Photo Blog

    Photo Album

    Review pages

    About my feeds

    © Questa Computing Ltd. 1994 - 2023:
    Questa Computing Ltd. is registered in England and Wales number:2889117.
    Registered office: Coppertrees, Forest Road, Effingham, Leatherhead, KT24 5HE
    Credits, copyright details and cookie policy