Java Design Patterns, w. CD-ROM: A Tutorial

The original Design Patterns by Gamma, Helm, et al proved a bestseller, spawning a number of derivative titles as well as a new edition. Java Design Patterns takes the 23 patterns created by the original designers and implements them for the benefit of Java programmers. The format in this book is to introduce the pattern with a description of the situation it describes. All the UML diagrams used in the book were created in Jvision and each is implemented as a complete working visual Java program with variations as a Visual Slick Edit project; all of it is supplied on the accompanying CD.

The point of patterns is to short-circuit the design process for programmatic problems solved by programmers many times before. What you're doing is taking the program design process up a level: just as classes encapsulate program components, so patterns encapsulate and generalise common interactions between components. For Java programmers, a pattern book using Java makes for a much shorter learning cycle than working from basic patterns or using a book written in a generic metalanguage.

The style is laid-back, with the emphasis on practicality rather than theory. This makes it far easier reading than the book it's based on. It is also more relevant to programmers working at the coalface. Patterns are a powerful intellectual tool. Master them and you'll take your game to a new level: this is the book you need to make the climb. --Steve Patient