2.1 Origins of UML

Modeling languages for object-oriented software have been around since the 1970s and began to proliferate in the late 1980s. The profusion of modeling options caused problems, and no single approach managed to reach critical mass. Thus, while many approaches were helpful in the design process itself, no common vocabulary emerged. The debates between the practitioners of different modeling systems are sometimes referred to as the "method wars," which brings to mind some fairly amusing images of the goings-on at academic conferences in the late 1980s and early 90s.

The UML specification developed out of the method wars. Grady Booch, James Rumbaugh, and Ivar Jacobson emerged as the leading lights in the modeling movement. Booch's approach was design-oriented, while Rumbaugh's Object Modeling Technique was geared toward data analysis. Jacobson created the Object Oriented Software Engineering (OOSE) method, which focused on developing "use cases" to feed system design. Jacobsen is known as the Father of Use Cases.

In 1994, Rumbaugh joined Booch at Rational Software, and introduced Version .8 of UML in October. A year later Jacobson arrived at Rational, and the three focused on merging their different, yet largely complementary approaches into a single model. Booch, Jacobson, and Rumbaugh became known as the Three Amigos. The Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) they developed at Rational is known as the Rational Unified Process, but the modeling language associated with it can be applied in any number of frameworks.

In 1996, in response to a request for standards proposals from the Object Management Group, Rational formed the UML Partners Consortium to gather support for the standard. UML 1.0 was submitted to the OMG in January 1997 as a suggested specification.

The consortium followed up with the UML 1.1 proposal, and in November 1997, the UML specification was accepted as a standard. Subsequent iterations have brought the UML to Version 1.4, and a substantially improved version, 2.0, is currently in the advanced preparatory stages. The rest of this chapter focuses on key elements of UML 1.4.