Rating: 
Summary: Money grab
Review: Nowhere near the GoF treatment. The author is merely cashing in on the combined craze of Java & Design Patterns and does justice to neither. Good business for him, poor book for you.
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Summary: Eh - Hello! Interfaces Calling....
Review: Java has been crying out for a translation of popular C++ Design Patterns. This is not it. All the good stuff that Java can do is ignored in this book. I took a look at 2 classic patterns which have been crying out for a nice clean interpretation in Java using Interfaces - Composite and Visitor! Neither pattern in this book makes use of Interfaces. The author almost points it out directly when explaining Composite Pattern when he suggests that it is useful for Tree structured data - you mean like "TreeModel" interface in Swing? Yeh, of course. So why aren't you using interfaces in your implementation? I get irked by the constant justification of the implementations because they were used in the JDK or the JFC. Does that mean the Sun people are infalible? How many Swing developers have wished that JComponent was an Interface and not an essential super class? The truth is that such an implementation on Composite Pattern is a hinderance and not a help in Java. You only have one go at Inheritance in Java and the implementation shown wastes it. If you really want to learn good design techniques using real Java advantages then get Java Design by Peter Coad et al.
Rating: 
Summary: The patterns book for Java
Review: Just a quick one I'm afraid. Having bought this book yesterday I'm pleased to see that it covers not only new patterns but also GoF ones from a Java perspective. Whilst patterns can often be language neutral, having someone ground them in your current implementation language makes understanding them much easier. I was pleased with Larman's book earlier this year but it's focus was more towards the software lifecycle. "Patterns in Java" covers the UML language enough so that you can understand the diagrams in the following sections. It also briefly covers the lifecycle, but the main focus is definiately on usable, realistic patterns to help you solve specific problems. This book is a pre-requistite to designing any vaguely complex Java application. If you were holding off by the Gang of Four book until it was updated for Java, don't wait anymore. Buy this instead.
Rating:
Summary: Just what I needed
Review: Have been looking for a java centred patterns book for some time and this fits the bill. Very useful examples and I particularly liked the way that examlples of a pattern's use in the jdk are highlighted.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent book for anyone interested in patterns
Review: The author elegantly describes 41 design patterns using UML diagrams and Java, with all source code nicely included on a CD. After reading and using this book, it's quickly grown to be one of my favorite on patterns, along with Pattern-Oriented Software Architecture(POSA) and the Gang of Four's Design Patterns. If you're interested in patterns, this is definitely among those you'll want to consider.
Rating:
Summary: Among the books on patterns, this is clearly one of the best
Review: One of the best books on patterns that I've read since the GOF's "Design Patterns". If you're interested in patterns and UML, this is definitely a book to consider.
Rating:
Summary: Tremendous! Brings patterns to life in Java!
Review: Several books on Java cover SOME design patterns, but this is the first book that covers all of the originals GoF design patterns and adds many that have been introduced since. I've been looking for a book like this since I was introduced to design patterns 6 months ago. I'm very pleased with it.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Book!
Review: I am only part way through this book and I am enjoying it very much. These Patterns have opened my eyes to elegent and flexible ways to approach problems. In order to benefit from this book I believe it is necessary to have a solid grasp of Object Oriented concepts (in any language) and to have at least a basic understanding of the Java language. I think it would be difficult for a beginner to understand this book. I can't wait for Volume 2 to be released!
Rating:
Summary: *** (A couple extra stars)
Review: This is the sort of book that you keep at arm's reach. I found it amusing that there is a graphical depiction of a dog-eared page on the cover, since in my case it will soon become a real one. The book contains a succinct overview of UML, a nice overview of the software development process, and a catalog of 40-some design patterns. The patterns are beautifully explained, most often using real-life situations (i.e., the ones that we often implement imperfectly). There are code examples for each pattern in Java. I am more an experienced programmer than a "pattern freak"; that is, I do not spend hours discussing the intricate subtlties of patterns and I do not see them as a miracle cure. I consider them a valuable tool for guidance, inspiration and communication. This book seems to have much the same view, and so you'll find mention of drawbacks and practicalities. All of the original "Gang of Four" patterns are (I'm pretty sure) covered. Mr. Grand also includes some of his own patterns, which to some would constitute hubris, were they not so well thought through. The book also brings together some patterns published by other authors in scattered places. Another very cool thing is the mention of Java API specific examples of the patterns, when they exist. Many beginning Java programmers are unaware of how much patterns influenced the Java API's design, and are thus puzzled by things like the Observable/Observer pair, and the empty Serializable interface. This book brings the richness of the Java API to light, and points the reader to another good source of design pattern examples (the API source code). The examples are all diagrammed in UML. I'm not incredibly familiar with UML (yet), so I found it extremely useful to be able to flip back to the beginning of the book to find out, for example, what the little asterisk over the arrow means. The book's CD contains several UML modeling applications. Buy this book. Make the author rich so he can contentedly publish the planned next two volumes.
Rating: 
Summary: Author's comments on "Patterns in Java", volume 1
Review: I intend this volume to be a worthy sucessor the the GoF "Design Patterns" book. The 41 patterns in this book cover the 23 patterns addressed in the older book. I feel that the perspective provided by time has allowed me to provide improved presentations of the patterns in the older book. The patterns are presented in a Java-centric way, with Java examples and diagrams in UML. This book covers a number of areas not addressed by the older book. The most important of those areas for Java programmers may be the chapter on concurrency patterns. Concurrency and threading are areas that are totally ignored by the older book. The patterns include the use of interfaces, where appropriate. There is even a pattern to provide guidance on where to use interfaces.
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