Issue 17768: Semantics Areas section not clear (uml25-ftf)
Source: Oracle (Mr. Dave Hawkins, dave.hawkins(at)oracle.com)
Nature: Revision
Severity: Significant
Summary: Figure 6.1 gives some semantic areas and the following paragraphs are intended to describe them. I don't think this is done terribly clearly. In particular the specific terms given in the diagram don't all appear in the text as is (Structural Foundations, Inter/Intra-Object Behavior Base);  it's not clear what the middle area actually is as the diagram doesn't name it; and the structure of the paragraphs doesn't match the areas.

The middle paragraph, "The base behavioral...", is particularly unclear - I don't think the second clause of the first sentence actually makes sense. It also includes a 'Note' that isn't really a note at all since it gives a fundamental property of the behavioral semantics.

Proposed Resolution:

Add titles to the diagram to identify the areas, perhaps on the right hand side:
Higher-level formalisms
Base behavioral semantics
Structural semantics

Make each paragraph correspond exactly to an area in the diagram. This largely means that the middle paragraph should be rewritten to include the actions text and object communication information. (Why not just call the *-Object Behavior Base, "Object Communication"?)

Split the 'Note' into a separate final paragraph that isn't described as a note, just more detailed information about the nature of UML behaviors.".

Resolution: 
Revised Text: 
Actions taken:
September 25, 2012: received issue
Discussion: 

End of Annotations:=====
s is issue # 17768

Problem: 6.042

Severity: Significant
Type: Revision
Location: 6.3.2 Semantic Areas p 19
Title: Semantics Areas section not clear
Description:
Figure 6.1 gives some semantic areas and the following paragraphs are intended to describe them. I don't think this is done terribly clearly. In particular the specific terms given in the diagram don't all appear in the text as is (Structural Foundations, Inter/Intra-Object Behavior Base);  it's not clear what the middle area actually is as the diagram doesn't name it; and the structure of the paragraphs doesn't match the areas.
 
The middle paragraph, "The base behavioral...", is particularly unclear - I don't think the second clause of the first sentence actually makes sense. It also includes a 'Note' that isn't really a note at all since it gives a fundamental property of the behavioral semantics.
 
Proposed Resolution:
 
Add titles to the diagram to identify the areas, perhaps on the right hand side:
Higher-level formalisms
Base behavioral semantics
Structural semantics
 
Make each paragraph correspond exactly to an area in the diagram. This largely means that the middle paragraph should be rewritten to include the actions text and object communication information. (Why not just call the *-Object Behavior Base, "Object Communication"?)
 
Split the 'Note' into a separate final paragraph that isn't described as a note, just more detailed information about the nature of UML behaviors.".
 
Source: dave.hawkins@oracle.com
Date: 19th July 2012
Discussion
Not the easier to understand and very difficult to relate to the rest of the specification.
Michael Jesse Chonoles
Date: 27th July 2012