Capturing a wealth of experience about the design of object-oriented software, four top-notch designers present a catalog of simple and succinct so...
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Dec 16, 2009
Mark
rated it: 
I don't like it as much as I used to, as I've found that using dynamic languages (ruby, perl, etc) made many of the design patterns unnecessary. Still, when I first read this book it changed the way I thought about software design and I remember my friend and I frantically re-writing huge chunks of our codebase to throw in several design patterns. I recall being amazed at seeing good, reusable solutions to problems we kept encountering.
Anyways, if you're not using Java/C++/other " More...
Anyways, if you're not using Java/C++/other " More...
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Dec 16, 2009
Matt
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This is the classic software design patterns book.
Much of this material is assumed knowledge in many development shops so a understanding of this book is very valuable. However, there seems to be a design pattern mania and some developers take the information in this book a bit too literally and assume these patterns are inflexible. The patterns themselves are of value but the bigger take away from this book is how to solve problems with object oriented languages. This is an excell More...
Much of this material is assumed knowledge in many development shops so a understanding of this book is very valuable. However, there seems to be a design pattern mania and some developers take the information in this book a bit too literally and assume these patterns are inflexible. The patterns themselves are of value but the bigger take away from this book is how to solve problems with object oriented languages. This is an excell More...
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Nov 14, 2010
Noah
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A must have primer for any developer working with object oriented code. While it was a decent read from front-to-back (though a bit long), it is even more useful as a reference. Some of the terms are outdated by today's coding conventions, but the principles still apply and it is a fair exercise in mentally converting between the lingo used in the book and what you may be familiar with in C#, Java, or another OOP. One interesting aspect is that you can immediately start to see what programmin
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May 03, 2011
Joecolelife
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Design Patterns is required reading for all object-oriented designers, developers, and architects who want to improve and streamline their design skills. This book will open your eyes and teach you how to utilize widely accepted and standardized design patterns to implement efficient solutions for frequently encountered design challenges. You'll immediately recognize multiple instances within your own projects in which design patterns would have improved efficiency and reuse within the architect
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Apr 07, 2008
Michael
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I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I think the concept of a design pattern is just this side of bogus.
Part of the issue is that the languages the industry has chosen have weak powers of abstraction and thus these patterns seem necessary. Perhaps it's becoming a cliche (or became one 10 years ago?), but I'm sure some haven't yet been exposed to this thought: in a decent language like Lisp, most of these design patterns are trivial. The patterns are only there to make up for the More...
Part of the issue is that the languages the industry has chosen have weak powers of abstraction and thus these patterns seem necessary. Perhaps it's becoming a cliche (or became one 10 years ago?), but I'm sure some haven't yet been exposed to this thought: in a decent language like Lisp, most of these design patterns are trivial. The patterns are only there to make up for the More...
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Sep 20, 2008
Seth
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If you do anything with software, Design Patterns (the religion of 1995-2000) have wormed into your work. I was a fan in 95 and I'm still a fan; I'm glad the patterns by the "Gang of Four" (as this book and its authors are known) have permeated the larger dev community.
So you've seen these patterns in other, better books. You've read later books with different sets of patterns. you probably own a beat-up copy of the GoF book.
Get the CD anyway, even though you wo More...
So you've seen these patterns in other, better books. You've read later books with different sets of patterns. you probably own a beat-up copy of the GoF book.
Get the CD anyway, even though you wo More...
Nov 02, 2011
Shaun
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This book is considered one of the "bibles" of object-oriented programming, and with good reason. It presents a catalog of generalized solutions to general programming problems. These solutions are written in such a way as to make them modular and maintainable while encapsulating the logic into central areas to prevent simple changes from affecting your entire code base. Alternatively, many of these design patterns can be used to add functionality to existing code when you would otherw
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Apr 09, 2011
David
rated it:
This is considered a bible for OO design by some. This book defines many common design patterns. The book begins with a case study that attempts to illustrate how the decision to apply a particular design pattern came into play, which was a nice touch. The subsequent chapters each deal with a design pattern, grouped by its type, that describes the problem and solution followed by benefit-cost analysis and some examples.
The book is not a good read, compared to several other books on d More...
The book is not a good read, compared to several other books on d More...
Sep 17, 2009
Ahmed
rated it:
Beautiful Book for very complicated topic for developers and software architects. I liked the first chapter of introduction very much. and one of the best trends I have learned from this book is that, "You don't have to use all design patterns in the software you are making, just use what you think it is useful for the current situation and purpose of the current software you are working on now".
Feb 08, 2010
Brad
rated it:
Design Patterns is the catalog of design patterns. Unfortunately, it does not teach how to develop good design patterns, but the scope and detail of the patterns is useful to learn how to use and recognize them.
It is not a very good read. Originally written as a doctoral thesis, it was not intended to be a widely-read book. However, it is accurate and thorough.
It is not a very good read. Originally written as a doctoral thesis, it was not intended to be a widely-read book. However, it is accurate and thorough.
Mar 14, 2009
Jason
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This is the bible of object oriented program design. This book defines classic object oriented design patterns. Code samples are all in C++, but are easy enough to follow even if you don't know C++. Each chapter defines a common problem, describes the solution, and illustrates the pattern. - essential reading for any OO programmer.
Dec 23, 2008
Alex
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The best part of this book is the description of design principles. The list of patterns (which take up most of the book) are really just concrete examples of those principles in action. You may find yourself referring to those lists in the future, however, for inspiration. Definitely useful to have around at all times as a reference.
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Dec 27, 2009
Kristjan
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Without a doubt one of the classic works in the field of computer science, and a must-read for people who want to work with code.
By now, it's somewhat dated, and a lot of the patterns are unnecessary to use, as they are implemented in the frameworks, yet it's still valuable to understand what's going on beneath the hood.
By now, it's somewhat dated, and a lot of the patterns are unnecessary to use, as they are implemented in the frameworks, yet it's still valuable to understand what's going on beneath the hood.
Aug 15, 2011
Dmitri
rated it:
Ultimately a bit out of date in terms of language used. At least for someone from the managed world. Also, modern practices such as e.g., dependency injection wipe out some of the original thinking. That said, still a classic book, though I'd opt for a C#- or Java-specific variety for the sake of clarity.
Jun 22, 2011
Mitchell
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Every time I read this book it is like peeling an onion. Layers upon layers. And yet this book is still harder to use and process than I want it to be. It has been years since I read this cover-to-cover and certainly I got more out of it this time - but this book is still just at the wrong level for what I want. Then again that's what happens when you are first to a concept - the easier/better way appears later.
Oct 14, 2010
Joshua
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Anyone who is serious about development needs to read this book. It not only outlines many common design patterns but also how to model them and how they can interact with eachother. Read it and keep it on your desk because this is one you will want to come back to.
Jul 12, 2010
Manuel
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What can I say, I like the classics, even for my technical references. This book by the GoF still provides an invaluable guide to design patterns and how to use them. A must have on any software developer's reference shelf.
Oct 11, 2011
Chris
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Not something to read, more of a reference book. Application of the patterns is a bit unimaginative, always seeming to be about UI management, and always seeming to depend on inheritance rather than composition.
Jul 09, 2010
John
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This book is a classic, you should read through it and it should sit on your bookshelf. But you should also read something newer and more accessible on design patterns as well, I recommend Head First Design Patterns.
May 09, 2009
Joey
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**Not for the newbies.** This is the ultimate catalog of object-oriented design patterns. Without a doubt, the most insightful book I have read in this field. These concepts immortalized the "Gang of Four".
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Mar 17, 2009
Alan
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I think my only problem with this book is that it's getting a bit dated, and it shows in the examples of the patterns. I could do without the source code and some more elaboration on the patterns themselves.
Jan 24, 2011
Mauricio
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One of the best books I have read in the Software Engineering field. It fills the gap between design and implementation. It is impressive the amount of knowledge that is captured using Design Patterns. Based on the pattern language used by of Christopher Alexander et al in building architecture, Gamma et al applied this pattern language to software artifacts.
May 30, 2010
Hans
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Quiet useful for senior technical persons. Once we have atleast 3-4 years of exp in OOPs we should read this to move smoothly and systematically to the next level of programming - designing.
May 12, 2009
Scott
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classic. This is the gang of four that all software engineers use to reference. The Head first Design patterns book is better for understanding the patterns. This is more of a catalog of the patterns
Aug 05, 2011
Daniel
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Like them or not, you should be well acquainted with all of the patterns within. Like most overhyped software engineering stuff, patterns are often useful but far from a panacea.
Feb 05, 2010
Howard
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This book should be on the shelf (and read at least once a year) of everyone who is in the object-oriented software development world - one of the keystones of the industry.
Aug 29, 2010
Miroslav
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This book - as I have heard - is the best book about design patterns in programming. I think it is more for advanced developers and should not be read by beginners.
Jan 28, 2011
Monica
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An accessible read about identifying and creating software design patterns for more efficient code. The book divides design patterns into 3 categories: Creational Patterns, Structural Patterns, and Behavioral Patterns.
Apr 17, 2010
Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software (Addison-Wesley Professional Computing Series) by Erich Gamma (1994)
Apr 03, 2009
wnka
rated it:
It's decent but I feel I've encountered too many people who want to hammer every problem they ever try to solve into patterns.
