Concept:
Convert fractions to decimal form for easy comparison.
Step 1: Convert values.
\[
a = \frac{4}{9} \approx 0.44,\quad
b = \frac{7}{12} \approx 0.58
\]
\[
c = \frac{3}{7} \approx 0.43,\quad
d = \frac{12}{17} \approx 0.71,\quad
e = \frac{1}{2} = 0.5
\]
Step 2: Arrange in descending order.
\[
d (0.71)>b (0.58)>e (0.5)>a (0.44)>c (0.43)
\]
Hence, the order is $d, b, e, a, c$.