This book presents a set of patterns that organize all the informal experience successful Smalltalk programmers have learned the hard way. Understand these patterns, and you can write much more effective code. Understand the concept of Smalltalk patterns and why they work. Then learn patterns for working with methods, messages, state, collections, classes and formatting. Walk through a development example utilizing patterns.Smalltalk programmers, project managers, teachers and students -- both new and experienced.
SBPP shed a new light on my previous knowledge of "patterns" in computer programming. I was deep in the DP tar pit. SBPP saved me. SBPP changed almost all my thoughts on programming. It has changed what I value, and how I pursue it.
Kent Beck says that he is not a great programmer but just a pretty good programmer with great habits. Build great habits with this book. Read and reread this book every morn.
If you have studied DP, this book will open your eyes to the wider world of patterns. You will think about DPs quite differently after this book. You will be able to escape from the bad effects of DP abuse.
If DPs were nouns, verbs and adverbs/adjectives, SBPP are articles and auxiliary verbs. SBPP are used much more frequently than DPs. When you learn a language it is very important to learn more frequently used words first. It could be less efficient(or even dangerous) to learn "appreciate" before "thank (you)".
--JuneKim
Beck's style is clear and concise, the patterns are understandable even by a non-senior Smalltalker like me.The Zen of OO I wish more Java/C#/C++ programmers would read this (and maybe even learn Smalltalk) so that they can appreciate the weaknesses in those languages and possibly in their practices that they might not even realize today. I certainly did. While Robert Martin and others have offered up some of the canon of good design for contemporary developers, this little gem really reveals the "feel" of good OO.
