Thinking in Patterns: Download the First Version

RichMeraz writes "Bruce Eckel has posted his first incarnation of Thinking in Patterns with Python on his website. What a wonderful Christmas present." Make sure to check the list of mirrors before downloading. As Eckel says, "This should whet your appetite to read Design Patterns " (or reread it)... classic book, I figure it can't hurt to refresh my memory once a year, and holidays seem like a good time to think in the abstract...

Comments

Don't forget to buy a copy too

[2Bits]

Bruce Eckel has put his very well written books for download. That's very nice of him. For those of you who can afford, don't forget to buy a copy too, just to show your support/appreciation. I've bought a copy of "Thinking in Java", even though I've never opened the hard copy book. I end up giving it to my brother-in-law.

Learn algorithms *and* patterns

[PHAEDRU5]

Most of what we do does not map to Dijkstra's Algorithm, or the Simplex Algorithm, or the Monte Carlo Method.

Most of what we do is solve practical automation problems for people. You know, the kinds of problems that are never going to get the attention of hundreds of Ph.D. students, all intent on outdoing each other in terms of elegance and brilliance.

Most automation problems get worked on by a series of programmers. There's the original developer, and after that person moves on to greener pa$ture$, maintenance staff. In a situation like that, if you can't say in the documentation that the original problem mapped to a certain well-known algorithm, the next best thing is to say that you implemented the algorithm using a set of patterns.

If you do so, then you'll clearly communicate what was done, making it more likely that proper maintenance decisions are made (including, perhaps, the decision to replace the poorly thrown together patterns of the original implementation).

Re:Design Patterns are abstract?

[WINSTANLEY]

It might be a more useful way to evaluate "patterns" by asking what it (they) allow good programmers to do.

My background is that I had been using C++ for several years and even had a graduate level OO class (text was Booch) before I read the Design Patterns book. Though a fairly intelligent guy, perhaps I do solve problems a little slowly, but in any case DP was like pulling the scales off my eyes.
DP provided thorough discussion and examples of how OO language features co1uld be put to good use. It answered the question, What is oo good for?

Nowadays, I recommend to anyone learning C++ to read DP so that actually can understand the usefulness of OO languages.

Many many programmers don't get exposed or trained in the way OO. STL code is one way they can get exposed to the possiblities of oo design (though the STL is probably a bit overwhelming and limited). The most popular oo framework, MFC, is written as though the implementers didn't (don't) understand oo and many of the people teaching C++ courses don't understand it either.

Patterns seems to me the most effective way of teaching the possibilities for real-world problem solving with oo. IMHO, of course.