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Summary: A book that is never closed
Review: I have worked in IT for 10 years. This is the first book that I have referred to on a near daily basis. Much of what is contained in the book I either know instinctively or have learned through experience, however the author sums up perfectly what this book is about in the introduction.'When I want to do something...the catalog reminds me how to do it in a safe, step-by-step manner' Every programmer should have this book on their desk
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Summary: Should be titled "Refactoring for Java Programmers"
Review: As a C++ programmer I found many of the examples strongly geared to the specifics of the Java language (with which I have little familiarity). I was hoping for a more substantive generic OOP book. Many of the examples are OOP common sense and the book comes off as more of a beginners book for Java programming than one aimed at the audience of "Design Patterns" (an excellent book).
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Summary: An important milestone
Review: From time to time, but in truth rarely, an author write a book that change our mind about code or software process. From my point of view, this is the 2nd book like that in this decade (the first was Design Patterns). It outline especially that code and design that works isn't enough. He also describes formally things that I do (and thousands programmers) for years, but silently. Even if expressed in Java, the book is usefull in all OO languages. Just get it!
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Summary: amazing
Review: I have just finished reading the book and I am very impressed with what is in it. The book is not only interesting to read because of the refactoring techniques but to a large extent (IMHO) it has invaluable insight into object oriented design. If you are going to read just one book about OOD/OOP let this be the one.
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Summary: A Must-Have
Review: If you write software for a living, and especially if you use an OO language, you should read this book. It's a guide on how to make your software better while keeping the risks to a minimum -- an essential task. The writing is great; humor turns potentially dry examples into easy to read and comprehend lessons.
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Summary: The best book I have read in years.
Review: I just finished reading this book (and I am going to read it again and again.) Martin, you are the man! Your style is so amazing. But mostly, this is a book I am going to recommend to my co-workers, my friends, my family and anyone who wants to write good code. It's never too late to start. This book is just unbelievably great. There are so many examples. I program in Java and C++ and it was a time when I was at lost with my own code, let alone the code of others, only a few weeks after writing it. Not anymore! I have downloaded the JUnit and CPPUnit from the author's page and used them in all my projects with the refactoring methods described in the book. And then I went through this period of depression as I understood how much time and efforts I have lost in my existence without the fundamental guidelines described in this chef d'oeuvre. I feel better now. Thanks you!
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Summary: Good addition
Review: Matin surely presents a good strategy which is easily proved in the book. However I do not think it is a big enough issue to justify the whole book. He filled the content with many basics of object oriented and good programming practice. While many are not familiar with patterns and these techniques are not used as much as they should, I expect better material from Martin.
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Summary: Outstanding, a must read for all software engineers.
Review: What impressed me most about this book was its attitude. Granted that the book expertly leads us through refactoring of smelly code; and granted that the catalog of refactorings are full of interesting insights. But still and all, it was the attitude that the value of a module was not maximized simply by making it work that really struck home. You can vastly improve a module without changing its function whatever. Morevoer, such function preserving, structure improving, changes are a normal and essential part of every engineer's role.
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Summary: Bravo
Review: Yeah, its a great book. As in Analysis Patterns and UML Distilled, Fowler has found an important yet neglected topic and covered it with good sense and a clear style. I look forward to his writings on extreme programming.
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Summary: If you Write Code for a Living - READ THIS BOOK!
Review: Over the years I have purchased many dozens of technical textbooks. The best of these become reference material, the worst are colorful decoration on my bookcase shelves. "Refactoring" is a masterpiece. I have read it cover to cover. (Only McConnell's "Software Project Survival Guide" held that distinction before.) Even after a single read I am looking at my code and the code I support, in a new light. Subtleties I never saw before now leap off the screen. IMHO this book is better than "Design Patterns" as most of my career has been spent working on existing code. The patterns and techniques Fowler and company have cataloged here are priceless. Bravo!
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