Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com

Use the contents of the CD to create your own design documents and reusable components. The CD contains: 23 patterns you can cut and paste into your own design documents; sample code demonstrating pattern implementation; complete Design Patterns content in standard HTML format, with numerous hyperlinked cross-references; accessed through a standard web browser; Java-based dynamic search mechanism, enhancing online seach capabilities; graphical user environment, allowing ease of navigation.

First published in 1995, this landmark work on object-oriented software design presents a catalog of simple and succinct solutions to common design problems. Created by four experienced designers, the 23 patterns contained herein have become an essential resource for anyone developing reusable object-oriented software. In response to reader demand, the complete text and pattern catalog are now available on CD-ROM. This electronic version of Design Patterns enables programmers to install the book directly onto a computer or network for use as an online reference for creating reusable object-oriented software.

The authors first describe what patterns are and how they can help you in the design process. They then systematically name, explain, evaluate, and catalog recurring designs in object-oriented systems. All patterns are compiled from real-world examples and include code that demonstrates how they may be implemented in object-oriented programming languages such as C++ and Smalltalk. Readers who already own the book will want the CD to take advantage of its dynamic search mechanism and ready-to-install patterns.

Average Customer Rating:

THE design patterns book

Customer Rating:

This book is a classic and doesn't require any further presentations. It is THE Design Patterns bible and every OO programmer should read at least a couple of times. The samples are in C++ and sometimes Smalltalk but that really doesn't change anything even if you are a Java or C# guy. If you are looking for a quick way into patterns I'd recommend Head First: Design Patterns as your 1st reading, but buy both and get ready to start reading this one right after.

Good Book	Customer Rating:
Overall a good book. In my opinion it is better suited to be a textbook for a software engineering course than a 'self help' kind of book. Can be a bit too theoretical for my taste, but it is an interesting read.

The Absolute Classic Reference to Software Design Patterns	Customer Rating:
This book doesn't contain any Java hacks or UML 2.0 up to date notations, it contains the core concepts of software design patterns. The 23 GoF Patterns are described by their four inventors. A must have for software engineers.

very attractive cover	Customer Rating:
unlike the last pattern book i reviewed (see my other reviews), this one has an attractive cover. i like blue.

A missing link in learning to program

Customer Rating:

Most of the books I have read about object oriented programming were about some specific language and failed to provide a more general way to think about solving problems without writing a lot of code. This book was a missing link for me and I wish I had read it sooner. The authors provide you with elegant ways to use object oriented language features to simplify your programming solutions. When the specs on your project change and you have to re-factor your code, you may be able to use a design pattern from this book to simplify your solution and make your design more flexible with regard to the parts of the spec that are changing quickly.