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lastcraft · Jul 2, 2003, 09:07

Hi all.

There are some exquisite OO books out there, some of them very recent, so I thought it might be a good time to revisit an old question. I consider all of these items essential reading. Very few people get through our office without having these shoved under each arm.

Here are the rules of my little game, though

. If you want to recommend something else then you have to say which one below you would drop in favour of your recommendation, thus limiting the total to five. Fair?

Here goes...

1) The C2 Wiki. Not a book of course, but the first ever Wiki here http://www.c2.com/cgi/wiki?WelcomeVisitors. It has been the seed of many current software development ideas. You really can get lost for days in this and several of the pages are still groping toward new ideas.

2) Design Patterns (Gamma, Helm, Vlissides, Johnson). Not as readable as some of the later rehashes for specific languages, I had to read it three times, but for density of information and for being the first it had to be the one chosen. This book changed the world.

3) Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture (Martin Fowler with contributions). A lot of the issues on this forum (templating, database abstraction) are tackled in depth in this book. It takes the patterns idea and applies it to (mostly web) applications. Recent and an absolute classic, the "UnitOfWork" pattern is worth the price alone.

4) Refactoring (Martin Fowler). I cannot think of a book that will improve a developer's code quality faster than this book. Everything from how large methods should be to how to safely put right a completely mis-designed application. Fantastic.

5) The Pragmatic Programmer (Hunt, Thomas). An eclectic mixture of advice and attitude from two developers with enormous experience. This one seeps in by osmosis whilst being an utterly readable bedtime book. Inspiring.

Comments?

yours, Marcus.

SteveO · Jul 2, 2003, 09:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by lastcraft

2) Design Patterns (Gamma, Helm, Vlissides, Johnson).

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...008352-0078045

Quote:

Originally Posted by lastcraft

3) Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture (Martin Fowler with contributions).

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...008352-0078045

Quote:

Originally Posted by lastcraft

4) Refactoring (Martin Fowler)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...008352-0078045

Quote:

Originally Posted by lastcraft

5) The Pragmatic Programmer (Hunt, Thomas).

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...008352-0078045

Just some Amazon links if someone wants to buy!

I have been looking for a suitable book (1st Year CS student) to get my head around OO design. I know about polymorphism, inheritance, encapsulation but it can mash the brain trying to implement a new solution. I have a book on UML which is meant to simplify this process and allow you to abstract away. If any of these books will give me more grounding at my current level let me know.

Thanks

Stephen

lastcraft · Jul 2, 2003, 09:45

Hi...

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveO

Just some Amazon links if someone wants to buy!

Cheers. I just haven't got my head around this internet thing yet!

Are those numbers at the end part of an affiliate scheme?

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveO

I have been looking for a suitable book (1st Year CS student) to get my head around OO design.

I never did Computer Science, but Physics and I have been trying to catch up ever since. The "Design Patterns" book is the best bet book wise, but better is to pair program with someone else and giving yourself time to junk stuff and start from scratch. You'll know when you get something right. It's that "Aha!" feeling.

Before OO I thought I had mostly "got it" development wise and all that was left was more skills. Well pride comes before a fall and that fall was a head on collision with the OO brick wall! Four years later and I am still very much a learner. Wouldn't do it any other way now though.

yours, Marcus.

sjokki · Jul 2, 2003, 10:14

For an introduction to OO I think http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...809126-6321404 is very good. I first bought the Design Patterns book and I understood only the half of it. After reading The Object Primer I understood it all

. You can read a lot of Ambler here: http://www.ambysoft.com/onlineWritings.html

I don't know which book should be dropped. I haven't read all of them.

sweatje · Jul 2, 2003, 10:27

http://www.bookpool.com typically has lower prices on technical books than Amazon.

[ot] It is also an effective vote with your $ if you would like to protest Amazon's patenting of basic web designs

richard_h · Jul 2, 2003, 14:18

I'm going to purchase Refactoring (Martin Fowler) after hearing you rave about it Marcus. I have read Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture by Fowler which was excellent.

If buying books in UK: www.compman.co.uk are always cheaper than Amazon.

HarryF · Jul 3, 2003, 01:49

OK - I'm throwing out the C2 wiki on the grounds that I personally don't learn well (as in can't really take something in if I'm staring at a screem).

To replace it; Bruce Eckel's Thinking in Java which although not as advanced as some of those up there, being more an intro to OOP, it's packed full of invaluable insight and re-reading it always seems to throw up some new ideas.

Having said that, currently reading his Thinking in Python where the intent is not really to teach Python but a new version of his Thinking in Patterns using a language that he believes is ideal for examples. I've only just got started but thanks to it being Python the patterns really speak for themselves.

Also like Bruce Eckels down to earth way of writing (plus you can download versions of the books for free)

Dr Livingston · Jul 3, 2003, 08:15

Umm... Did download Thinking In Java and started to read Chapter One though that's as far as I got... Although Thinking In Java Edition 2.0 is available for download as well; again, not had the time to read it yet

But what I have read of it, it is worthwhile having a look folks...

Dr Livingston · Jul 8, 2003, 15:04

Find some space, upload it and give us all a shout okay ?

Hee Hee Hee...

Technosailor · Jul 8, 2003, 15:05

No, Dr. Posts have been removed. We are not doing the illegal file sharing stuff here.

Dr Livingston · Jul 8, 2003, 15:53

Ummm.... Anyway, there are some free eBooks available for downloading over at devarticles.com out of interest to anyone ? Recommend the one on Guide To Java as well... Great Stuff

bbolte · Jul 8, 2003, 15:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sketch

No, Dr. Posts have been removed. We are not doing the illegal file sharing stuff here.

whoops! didn't mean for anyone to upload anything that shouldn't have been. noticed my post is gone. that is not what i meant.

webstudio · Jul 8, 2003, 16:24

Neither Do I. So I apologize for the inconvenience. (Bu t I'm still reading it ^_^ )

Gybbyl · Jul 8, 2003, 17:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sketch

No, Dr. Posts have been removed. We are not doing the illegal file sharing stuff here

The Thinking in Java manuscript is free, isn't it? How would that be illegal? Or was Dr. Posts talking about a different book?

bbolte · Jul 8, 2003, 20:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gybbyl

The Thinking in Java manuscript is free, isn't it? How would that be illegal? Or was Dr. Posts talking about a different book?

different book i believe...

Dr Livingston · Jul 9, 2003, 06:43

Although have a look at these books; and they're free for downloading

http://www.devarticles.com/free_prog...k_download.php

HarryF · Jul 9, 2003, 16:32

Quote:

Having said that, currently reading his Thinking in Python where the intent is not really to teach Python but a new version of his Thinking in Patterns using a language that he believes is ideal for examples. I've only just got started but thanks to it being Python the patterns really speak for themselves.

Scratch Thinking in Python for the near future - it's still an early draft with numerous parts being simply copied from Thinking in (Java) Patterns. There's some areas where I strongly disagree as well, such as calling the Adapter pattern and the State pattern effectively "the same thing". To me Adapters and Proxies have parts in common but the State pattern, although perhaps containing adapters of sorts has a very different purpose.

There are some really nice examples of the Template method and Command pattern though.

Andy Tomaka · Jul 19, 2003, 10:07

I was just wondering how these books would apply to a more or less newbie to the topic at hand? I need a way to break into more advance OOP and patterns (which I really have no clue about).

bonk · Jul 19, 2003, 11:54

I'm in the middle of the Refactoring book, it's quite good

cosmo · Jul 19, 2003, 15:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy Tomaka

I was just wondering how these books would apply to a more or less newbie to the topic at hand? I need a way to break into more advance OOP and patterns (which I really have no clue about).

The best way to break into advanced OOP is to really get down and dirty with the code itself.

The books above look great. I think, I am going to go for that Refactoring book.

Andy Tomaka · Jul 19, 2003, 21:57

It's not that I have a problem following the code around. I just need to get to the point where I can think to do it that way myself and what not. But I do realize that I lack some of the higher level concepts.

HarryF · Jul 20, 2003, 02:02

Quote:

But I do realize that I lack some of the higher level concepts.

Really they aren't such a big deal - just have big names. Patterns in particular are just expressions of what makes "good practice". By reading about other people ideas on what makes good practice, you can save yourself a whole lot of time.

Probably best place to start is this book;

Quote:

3) Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture (Martin Fowler with contributions).

Although that sounds pretty heavy reading, the subject matter is very relevant to the area where PHP is often used and there's a bunch of good stuff to help with how you design / structure your apps.

Andy Tomaka · Jul 20, 2003, 07:35

Alright Harry. That's what I was looking to hear

I'll have to try to get ahold of that book ASAP.

Thanks a lot for your suggestions everyone!

coo_t2 · Jul 20, 2003, 11:21

[ OFF TOPIC ]
This may be a bit off topic but I have to recommend a book to any OOP newbies reading this thread. "The Object Oriented Thought Process" was recommend by Codezilla in a thread a few months back.
I read it in a few days, and have to say pound for pound it's probably one of the
best technical books I've read (it's not a big book).
It only really deals the fundamentals of OOP, but it does it in a very easy to understand way.
This book may serve as a good stepping stone to more advanced books, such as the ones being discussed in this thread.

--ed

PHP John · Jul 20, 2003, 11:35

What about Agile Software Development, Principles, Patterns, and Practices ?

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...me&start-at=11

It has recieved rave reviews on Amazon, but I'm wondering if The Object Primer would be better to start with?

Jul 2, 2003, 09:07	#1
lastcraft SitePoint Victim Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: London Posts: 2,273	My top five OO reads Hi all. There are some exquisite OO books out there, some of them very recent, so I thought it might be a good time to revisit an old question. I consider all of these items essential reading. Very few people get through our office without having these shoved under each arm. Here are the rules of my little game, though . If you want to recommend something else then you have to say which one below you would drop in favour of your recommendation, thus limiting the total to five. Fair? Here goes... 1) The C2 Wiki. Not a book of course, but the first ever Wiki here http://www.c2.com/cgi/wiki?WelcomeVisitors. It has been the seed of many current software development ideas. You really can get lost for days in this and several of the pages are still groping toward new ideas. 2) Design Patterns (Gamma, Helm, Vlissides, Johnson). Not as readable as some of the later rehashes for specific languages, I had to read it three times, but for density of information and for being the first it had to be the one chosen. This book changed the world. 3) Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture (Martin Fowler with contributions). A lot of the issues on this forum (templating, database abstraction) are tackled in depth in this book. It takes the patterns idea and applies it to (mostly web) applications. Recent and an absolute classic, the "UnitOfWork" pattern is worth the price alone. 4) Refactoring (Martin Fowler). I cannot think of a book that will improve a developer's code quality faster than this book. Everything from how large methods should be to how to safely put right a completely mis-designed application. Fantastic. 5) The Pragmatic Programmer (Hunt, Thomas). An eclectic mixture of advice and attitude from two developers with enormous experience. This one seeps in by osmosis whilst being an utterly readable bedtime book. Inspiring. Comments? yours, Marcus.

Jul 2, 2003, 14:18	#6
richard_h SitePoint Addict Join Date: May 2002 Location: London Posts: 302	I'm going to purchase Refactoring (Martin Fowler) after hearing you rave about it Marcus. I have read Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture by Fowler which was excellent. If buying books in UK: www.compman.co.uk are always cheaper than Amazon. Last edited by richard_h; Jul 2, 2003 at 14:30.

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Jul 2, 2003, 10:14	#4
sjokki SitePoint Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Groningen, Netherlands Posts: 21	For an introduction to OO I think http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...809126-6321404 is very good. I first bought the Design Patterns book and I understood only the half of it. After reading The Object Primer I understood it all . You can read a lot of Ambler here: http://www.ambysoft.com/onlineWritings.html I don't know which book should be dropped. I haven't read all of them.

Jul 2, 2003, 10:27	#5
sweatje eschew sesquipedalians Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Iowa, USA Posts: 3,779	http://www.bookpool.com typically has lower prices on technical books than Amazon. [ot] It is also an effective vote with your $ if you would like to protest Amazon's patenting of basic web designs

Jul 3, 2003, 01:49	#7
HarryF SitePoint Wizard Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Switzerland Posts: 2,906	OK - I'm throwing out the C2 wiki on the grounds that I personally don't learn well (as in can't really take something in if I'm staring at a screem). To replace it; Bruce Eckel's Thinking in Java which although not as advanced as some of those up there, being more an intro to OOP, it's packed full of invaluable insight and re-reading it always seems to throw up some new ideas. Having said that, currently reading his Thinking in Python where the intent is not really to teach Python but a new version of his Thinking in Patterns using a language that he believes is ideal for examples. I've only just got started but thanks to it being Python the patterns really speak for themselves. Also like Bruce Eckels down to earth way of writing (plus you can download versions of the books for free)

Jul 3, 2003, 08:15	#8
Dr Livingston Non-Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 5,799	Umm... Did download Thinking In Java and started to read Chapter One though that's as far as I got... Although Thinking In Java Edition 2.0 is available for download as well; again, not had the time to read it yet But what I have read of it, it is worthwhile having a look folks...

Jul 8, 2003, 15:04	#9
Dr Livingston Non-Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 5,799	Find some space, upload it and give us all a shout okay ? Hee Hee Hee...

Jul 8, 2003, 15:05	#10
Technosailor Prolific Blogger Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Before These Crowded Streets Posts: 10,023	No, Dr. Posts have been removed. We are not doing the illegal file sharing stuff here.

Jul 8, 2003, 15:53	#11
Dr Livingston Non-Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 5,799	Ummm.... Anyway, there are some free eBooks available for downloading over at devarticles.com out of interest to anyone ? Recommend the one on Guide To Java as well... Great Stuff

Jul 8, 2003, 16:24	#13
webstudio SitePoint Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Argentina Posts: 23	Neither Do I. So I apologize for the inconvenience. (Bu t I'm still reading it ^_^ )

Jul 9, 2003, 06:43	#16
Dr Livingston Non-Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 5,799	Although have a look at these books; and they're free for downloading http://www.devarticles.com/free_prog...k_download.php

Jul 19, 2003, 10:07	#18
Andy Tomaka SitePoint Evangelist Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: East Lansing, Michigan, USA Posts: 435	I was just wondering how these books would apply to a more or less newbie to the topic at hand? I need a way to break into more advance OOP and patterns (which I really have no clue about).

Jul 19, 2003, 11:54	#19
bonk SitePoint Zealot Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Middle / East TN Posts: 127	I'm in the middle of the Refactoring book, it's quite good

Jul 19, 2003, 21:57	#21
Andy Tomaka SitePoint Evangelist Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: East Lansing, Michigan, USA Posts: 435	It's not that I have a problem following the code around. I just need to get to the point where I can think to do it that way myself and what not. But I do realize that I lack some of the higher level concepts.

Jul 20, 2003, 07:35	#23
Andy Tomaka SitePoint Evangelist Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: East Lansing, Michigan, USA Posts: 435	Alright Harry. That's what I was looking to hear I'll have to try to get ahold of that book ASAP. Thanks a lot for your suggestions everyone!

Jul 20, 2003, 11:21	#24
coo_t2 Non-Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Dog Street Posts: 1,823	[ OFF TOPIC ] This may be a bit off topic but I have to recommend a book to any OOP newbies reading this thread. "The Object Oriented Thought Process" was recommend by Codezilla in a thread a few months back. I read it in a few days, and have to say pound for pound it's probably one of the best technical books I've read (it's not a big book). It only really deals the fundamentals of OOP, but it does it in a very easy to understand way. This book may serve as a good stepping stone to more advanced books, such as the ones being discussed in this thread. --ed

Jul 20, 2003, 11:35	#25
PHP John if($awake){code();} Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Along the Wasatch Fault line. Posts: 1,718	What about Agile Software Development, Principles, Patterns, and Practices ? http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...me&start-at=11 It has recieved rave reviews on Amazon, but I'm wondering if The Object Primer would be better to start with?