Component-Based Software Engineering: Putting the Pieces Together (ACM Press) (Hardcover)

by George T. Heineman (Author), William T. Councill (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
(Pearson Education) A collection of expert information on software engineering, defining and explaining nearly every aspect of component engineering. Includes an overview of the complexities of the component-based software life cycle, covering ways to avoid mistakes and how to work with current technologies such as CORBA CCM. DLC: Software engineering.

From the Back Cover
Component-Based Software Engineering (CBSE) is now the way to produce software fast, with less effort, of high quality--not just the first time a product is released but for its entire life. More and more it is being applied to industrial strength and mission-critical software. It is becoming the indispensable element in the mainstream of the software world....The book you are now holding is the first handbook-like volume to present this state of the art.

--Ivar Jacobson, from the Foreword

Building large-scale and complex software systems from available parts is an emerging strategy in industry. Its goals, among others, are to consistently increase return on investment and time to market, while assuring higher quality and reliability than can be achieved through current software development. Written by leading experts from around the world, this book presents the latest concepts and practices in CBSE. While detailing both the advantages and the limitations of CBSE, the book's underlying aim is to define this new field, to frame the discussion, and to ensure that managers and engineers have the background they need to ask good questions and make informed decisions about components.

Beginning with some carefully wrought definitions, the book moves on to cover nearly every aspect of component engineering--from software engineering practices to the design of software component infrastructures, technologies, and systems. The book includes specific examples of CBSE successes and failures, and provides a balanced overview of the complexities of the component-based software life cycle.

This timely and comprehensive volume:

• Explains precisely what CBSE is and why it is as important to software development as the assembly line was to the industrial revolution
• Shows how to avoid common mistakes while succeeding with difficult and important cultural, budgetary, and process issues
• Presents new CBSE procedures to ensure good software development practices
• Describes a layered method for designing and building complex distributed component systems using the Unified Modeling Language
• Covers common component technologies, such as CORBA CCM, Transactional COM+, EJB, and much more
• Presents the legal and regulatory challenges of marketing and purchasing components

Component-Based Software Engineering is the most definitive collection of expertise ever assembled on this growing technology, and a book that must be read and referred to by anyone working in CBSE or considering doing so.

0201704854B06132001

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 880 pages
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional (June 18, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201704854
• ISBN-13: 978-0201704853
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.6 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #929,939 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Anthology, July 30, 2001

By A Customer

This book is an excellent collection of articles describing all of the important issues surrounding the construction of component-based software systems. Each chapter describes a different aspect of the question of how to build a system using reusable components. Although each of these chapters is written by a different author or authors, they have been edited so that they read as a continuous whole. It is interesting that the editors were able to get some of the biggest names in the field to write articles on their specialties. A look at the author biographies show that they include industry practitioners, academics, industrial researchers, and independent consultants. Together they have a very impressive amount of experience and varied expertise. Perhaps my only complaint is that because so many different topics are covered, and each article is rather brief, some of the articles just touch the surface of the issues. But they do provide a balanced picture of these issues which then allow you to go out and do further in-depth reading on salient topics using the included list of references.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A definitive reference on the subject, September 11, 2001

By	Mike Tarrani "www.tarrani.com" (Deltona, FL USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

This 818 page collection of 42 papers and articles is a definitive work on component-based software engineering. Regardless of your area(s) of interest, there is probably a chapter that addresses it. More importantly, each chapter is written by a top expert in their subspecialty.

Instead of giving a chapter-by-chapter description, I am going to cover the chapters that I found useful. To begin, Part II, chapters 1 through 3 gave me a quick primer in software components and highlighted the need to think in a different frame when dealing with component-based development. If you are new to CBSW then the 48 pages devoted to the basics are worthwhile reading.

Part II's five chapters on making a business and technical case for components is outstanding and the authors cover every facet. I found Part III, which covers software engineering practices, particularly useful. The value to me was the status of CBSW engineering on a global scale because I am currently providing consulting services to an India-based company that specializes in components. For this reason I also found Part IV's eight chapters on managing component-based software systems especially valuable.

The real eye-opener [for me], however, was in Part VIII, which devotes four interesting chapters on aspects of legal and regulatory issues as they related to software development as a discipline, and component-based software engineering specifically. In particular, chapter 38 on software component standards and certification was enlightening. I was also enlightened by chapter 39's fascinating discussion on commercial law applicable to component-based software, and the effects of the Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (UCITA) on component-based software development and marketing.

This is an excellent book that covers the entire landscape of component-based software engineering and, although is a weighty 818 pages, is not difficult to read through. Each chapter is really a paper or article, so each is standalone. If you are dealing with off-shore development in any way, the book is especially valuable, and if you are doing CBSW in-house, the key differences between this approach and other development approaches are highlighted and will give you sufficient information with which to approach CBSW intelligently and effectively.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Encyclopedic and full of information, December 25, 2001

By	Rachel Tozier (Brea, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Covers the full spectrum of component-based software engineering, from the basics to legal aspects. Contains one of the most authoritative collections of essays and whitepapers on the subject between two covers. I have used this book as a basis for component-based development, and have also used it as the foundation for a SQA initiative because the material also addresses quality. Many of the essays support a software reuse strategy, which is an added bonus. Another use of this outstanding book is as a resource for in-house training in many aspects of software engineering outside of the component-based domain. It's that comprehensive and complete. I recommend using this book with Successful Software Development as the two primary references in mature development organizations.