Implementation Patterns

-Motivation- The author is Kent Beck. That alone merits at least a thumb-through of any book. Beck's self-described premise of this book is that "good code matters." He goes on to state his goal of showing us how to communicate ideas better in code. -Cons- This book tackles a subject that is not quite as crucial as some others. Beck says, "This book fits somewhere between Design Patterns and a ... language manual." I agree with him, but need to slide a few more in there after Design Patterns, and before this one. It's almost like a coding standard on crack. This doesn't make it bad, but it's basically in the back of the line of books that a good software engineer should read and understand. -Pros- As with most patterns books, this one shines a light on things that experienced developers have done for years, but maybe without thinking about why. Sometimes just being forced to think about these habits is valuable, even if you may not agree with the author's conclusions. Beck does a good job of giving us technical bits (the actual patterns) with values and principles used to guide the decision making. One example of a pattern is Parameter Object. Here beck describes the practice wrapping parameter lists in objects and passing the composite object instead. This is something we've all done at some point for a few possible reasons. Beck just brings the issue to the forefront to make us think about when exactly to do this. An example of one of the principles Beck uses as a guide is Symmetry. He tells us, "Symmetry in code is where the same idea is expressed the same way everywhere it appears in code." This guides us from naming variables to, say, consistently applying patterns like Parameter Object when our method parameter lists get too long. -Summary- This is a good book. But if I liken my bookshelf to shelf of different grit of sandpaper, this is a very fine grit: you should only use this after you've completed the coarser stuff. Kent is a master at creating code that communicates well, is easy to understand, and is a pleasure to read. Every chapter of this book contains excellent explanations and insights into the smaller but important decisions we continuously have to make when creating quality code and classes. Erich Gamma, IBM Distinguished Engineer Many teams have a master developer who makes a rapid stream of good decisions all day long. Their code is easy to understand, quick to modify, and feels safe and comfortable to work with. If you ask how they thought to write something the way they did, they always have a good reason. This book will help you become the master developer on your team. The breadth and depth of topics will engage veteran programmers, who will pick up new tricks and improve on old habits, while the clarity makes it accessible to even novice developers. Russ Rufer, Silicon Valley Patterns Group Many people don t realize how readable code can be and how valuable that readability is. Kent has taught me so much, I m glad this book gives everyone the chance to learn from him. Martin Fowler, chief scientist, ThoughtWorks Code should be worth reading, not just by the compiler, but by humans. Kent Beck distilled his experience into a cohesive collection of implementation patterns. These nuggets of advice will make your code truly worth reading. Gregor Hohpe, author of Enterprise Integration Patterns In this book Kent Beck shows how writing clear and readable code follows from the application of simple principles. Implementation Patterns will help developers write intention revealing code that is both easy to understand and flexible towards future extensions. A must read for developers who are serious about their code. Sven Gorts Implementation Patterns bridges the gap between design and coding. Beck introduces a new way of thinking about programming by basing his discussion on values and principles. Diomidis Spinellis, author of Code Reading and Code Quality Software Expert Kent Beck Presents a Catalog of Patterns Infinitely Useful for Everyday Programming Great code doesn t just function: it clearly and consistently communicates your intentions, allowing other programmers to understand your code, rely on it, and modify it with confidence. But great code doesn t just happen. It is the outcome of hundreds of small but critical decisions programmers make every single day. Now, legendary software innovator Kent Beck known worldwide for creating Extreme Programming and pioneering software patterns and test-driven development focuses on these critical decisions, unearthing powerful implementation patterns for writing programs that are simpler, clearer, better organized, and more cost effective. Beck collects 77 patterns for handling everyday programming tasks and writing more readable code. This new collection of patterns addresses many aspects of development, including class, state, behavior, method, collections, frameworks, and more. He uses diagrams, stories, examples, and essays to engage the reader as he illuminates the patterns. You ll find proven solutions for handling everything from naming variables to checking exceptions. This book covers The value of communicating through code and the philosophy behind patterns How and when to create classes, and how classes encode logic Best practices for storing and retrieving state Behavior: patterns for representing logic, including alternative paths Writing, naming, and decomposing methods Choosing and using collections Implementation pattern variations for use in building frameworks Implementation Patterns will help programmers at all experience levels, especially those who have benefited from software patterns or agile methods. It will also be an indispensable resource for development teams seeking to work together more efficiently and build more maintainable software. No other programming book will touch your day-to-day work more often. " "Great code doesn t just happen. It is the outcome of hundreds of small but critical decisions programmers make every single day. Now, software innovator Kent Beck focuses on these critical decisions, unearthing "implementation patterns" for writing programs that are simpler, clearer, better organized, and more cost effective." "Beck collects 77 patterns for handling everyday programming tasks and writing more readable code. This new collection of patterns addresses many aspects of development, including class, state, behavior, method, collections, frameworks, and more. He uses diagrams, stories, examples, and essays to engage the reader as he illuminates the patterns. You'll find solutions for handling everything from naming variables to checking exceptions." "Implementation Patterns will help programmers at all experience levels, especially those who have benefited from software patterns or agile methods. It will also be a resource for development teams seeking to work together more efficiently and build more maintainable software."--Jacket Kent Beck. A Kent Beck Signature Book--cover. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 145-148) And Indexes.