Object-Oriented Software Construction

by Bertrand Meyer

This is, quite simply, the definitive reference on the most important development in software technology for the last 20 years: object-orientation.

A whole generation was introduced to object technology through the first edition of this book. This long-awaited new edition retains the qualities of clarity, practicality and scholarship that made the first an instant bestseller, but has been thoroughly revised and expanded.

Among the new topics covered in depth are: concurrency, distribution, client/server and the Internet, object-oriented databases, design by contract, fundamental design patterns, finding classes, the use and misuse of inheritance, abstract data types, and typing issues. The book also includes completely updated discussions of reusability, modularity, software quality, object-oriented languages, memory management, and many other essential topics.

Genres: Programming, Computer Science, Software, Technology, Technical, Nonfiction, Coding

1296 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1988

Reviews

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a throw back, and fascinating because of it. It's great to see the difference in perspective then compared to that preached by the Agile development community today. It's also interesting to see all the OO features included in Eiffel that none of today's OO language's have. There are clearly things we are doing better today, but others we have lost that we could benefit from. Especially in the areas of better design and more flexible reusable extensible software. And this book has a lot to say about those topics.

[Sandro Mancuso · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written in 1997 and I can't judge it using my current knowledge, which was acquired in the almost 20 years after the book was written. This book was a great book in the past, for people learning OOP/D, hence the 4 stars. Yes, the book definitely shows its age and most things it advocates are not considered good practices today. I would not recommend it for those who understand OOP/D well enough and neither for those who are looking for the current best practices in software design. However, there are still a few hidden gems in there when it comes to software design. I recommend browsing through the book and reading some of the points you may find useful.

[Alessio Eros · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book covering in detail the Object oriented method. I wish I’d read this earlier!!

[Stefan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad as for a re-read of 20-years old software development book. Taxonomy around O-O changed a bit. However, it's still worth to scan it quickly for a couple of really good pointers on how to use (vs. abuse) object oriented languages. Other then that, it's just a book that captured really well certain moment in the evolution of IT eco-system, when O-O hype managed to hatch Java ;-)

[Nico]

Meyer's uniform access principle...

[Brian Cham · Rating 3 out of 5]

I accidentally read this in my second year of university because I thought this was required reading. The author has strong opinions about object-oriented programming that he uses to make a new language Eiffel. It's a bit old and stifled by today's standards but has good value in showing all the thought processes and decision that go into language design.

[Onlythoughtworks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is straight classic. A must have!!

[Nivas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this in school, textbook for OO design

[Topilno]

Creating Web Pages for Dummies

[Ivan Soto · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a useful book but it takes huge perseverance to get through unskilled writing on such a technical topic.

[Sergey Teplyakov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best OOP/OOD book ever! Highly recommended!

[Minh Ha · Rating 5 out of 5]

A handy reference and an exhautive list of OO techniques and practices.

[Väinö Leppänen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only read chapters 1 - 28. The rest didn't seem worth the effort because of the topics dealt with.

[Max Sakalouski · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit outdated, too much lyrics, *too much* Eiffel language. Author's opinion on some aspects are too restrictive and controversial. Anyway, it's a quite good book on OOP.

[Hal Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

The bible of OOD. Not exactly the way things get done, in practice, but the concepts are a good foundation. I read this cover-to-cover, and enjoyed Meyer's style.

[Pete Gordon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Heavy dude! Maybe I'll understand or even "finish" this book someday. Book club anyone?