Object-Oriented and Classical Software Engineering (Hardcover)

by Stephen Schach (Author) "A well-known story tells of an executive who received a computer-generated bill for $0.00..." (more)
Key Phrases: postdelivery maintenance, proposed software product, target software product, Osbert Oglesby, Unified Process, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Integrating case studies to show the object oriented approach to software engineering, Object-Oriented and Classical Software Engineering, 7/e presents an excellent introduction to software engineering fundamentals, covering both traditional and object-oriented techniques.

The coverage of both Agile processes and Open Source Software has been considerably expanded. In addition, the Osbert Oglesby running case study has been replaced with a new case study on the Martha Stockton Greengage Foundation. The new study highlights even more aspects of the Unified Process.

The book’s unique organization remains in place, with Part I covering underlying software engineering theory, and Part II presenting the more practical life cycle. Complementing this well-balanced approach is the straightforward, student-friendly writing style, through which difficult concepts are presented in a clear, understandable manner. The new seventh edition provides an extensive updating of this classic software engineering text!

Product Details

• Hardcover: 640 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math; 7 edition (June 29, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0073191264
• ISBN-13: 978-0073191263
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #227,377 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Prescriptive book on traditional software engineering, December 7, 2002

By	Pietari Laurila (Vantaa Finland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Object-Oriented and Classical Software Engineering (Hardcover)

Schach's Object-Oriented and Classical Software Engineering is a textbook in the traditional sense of the word. The book is divided into two parts. The first part, Introduction to Software Engineering, deals with software life-cycle models, teams, software engineering tools, and a few other general topics. The second part, The Phases of the Software Life Cycle, then takes a more detailed look at requirements, design, implementation, and so forth.

The book has undergone a number of revisions during its lifetime, and it shows. Schach discusses both structured and object-oriented methods, but the coverage isn't unified enough; the book feels like a quickly-made patch. I also wish that iterative development and agile methods had received more attention.

To make matters worse, Schach's writing style doesn't impress me much. Ineffective passive constructions abound and modifiers always are put before the verb, even if the sentence contains a modal verb or the verb is be. This actually gets annoying after a while! What's more, Scach's approach is very, very prescriptive, and at least I frequently found myself objecting vehemently to the advice presented.

It's sad that to my knowledge there are no really good general books on software engineering. Sommerville's book suffers from the exact same defects as Schach's. Can a software engineering book not be made accurate, thought-provoking, and fun to read?

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Over Priced, September 18, 2003

By	PAT BAILEY "duluth boy" (Grand Rapids, MI United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Object-Oriented and Classical Software Engineering (Hardcover)

My criticism of the book is not with its content. The content is fine for a text book. My criticism is on the price: $$?! The information is basic software engineering material found in numerous sources. The fundamentals that students need can be found in other texts just as well written and significantly more economical. If you are an instructor you may want to look at Pfleeger or even the Systems Analysis and Design book in the Cashman series.

Again, this is a respectable reference and text book - the price is too much to ask of students though!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars This book seems overly general to be of use to anyone, December 2, 2000

By	Todd Ebert (Long Beach California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Classical and Object-Oriented Software Engineering With Uml and C++ (Hardcover)

The title of the book is very misleading, in that the book has very little uml and c++. Worse however is the lack of good problems and examples throughout the book. It seems like a watered-down version of Ghezzi's Software-Engineering book, the latter of which I would much more recommend. Some instructors may prefer Schach because it has *something* on uml and OOA&D, but it is probably better to supplement Ghezzi with a good book from this area (one I have yet locate).