The Evolution and Ecosystem of the Unified Modeling Language

Abstract

This short chapter is intended as a briefing on the “state of the practice” of the Unified Modeling Language (UML) and its derivatives and associated languages. It covers the evolution of UML, its near-term future, and some of the languages that have been defined as specializations of UML through a mechanism known as UML profiles. The question of whether all software can be generated through models is briefly addressed, as well as some of the occasionally enlightening comments made by UML experts.

This chapter should not be seen as a “defense of UML,” only as an illustration and discussion. It is not based on original research, but on conversations with peers, especially within the context of the standards development work of the Object Management Group (OMG), which is the custodian of UML and of several related standards. Many researchers and practitioners of software engineering methods have done exhaustive work on the analysis (and the defense when they saw it necessary) of UML; some of their work is mentioned in the references and should definitely be consulted for further information.