Allen I. Holub

Book Blurb: Most programmers learn by looking at computer programs. This book teaches you design patterns in exactly this way: by looking at computer programs and analyzing them in terms of the patterns that they use. Consequently, you learn how the patterns actually occur in the real world, and how to apply the patterns to solve real problems. This book also looks at the broader context of OO (Object-Oriented) design and how the patterns solve commonplace OO design problems. It covers many of the principles of OO design - principles not covered by most books on Java - and shows you how to apply these principles to make your code easier to maintain and debug. The existing books on design patterns take a "catalog" approach, where they show the individual design patterns in isolation. This approach is fundamentally flawed because you can’t see how the design patterns actually function in the real world. The patterns in real programs interact in complex ways, working in concert to solve many problems simultaneously. By seeing the patterns actually applied in a realistic way, you can really understand how to use them in your own code. I found the book to be an excellent if somewhat dense read. You really need to concentrate and flip back and forth between the UML diagrams and the text. The book contains a tremendous amount of real code, not uncompilable snippets as is frequently the case with books of this nature. Probably more value would be gained by reading the book and having the code up in an IDE, but the time I have to read books is time I take AWAY from computers, so that wasn't an option for me. If you are looking for a practice introduction to the USE of patterns in Java, I highly recommend this book. It also includes a summation of the Gang of Four patterns in the back, probably all you really need of their book, frankly.… (mais)