Smalltalk, Objects, and Design

Rating:
Summary: The Best Beginner Book on O-O Design & Programming
Review: Mr. Liu has done a great service to the software development community by writing a clear, concise, approachable book on O-O Design & Programming. Thank you, Mr. Liu.

Many old-timers and not-so-old-timers in the profession have been trained under the so-called "Structured-Procedural" development discipline, and many are having a difficult time handling the huge paradigm shift. The learning curve is just too steep, as my own experience has shown.

As an old colleague of mine told me once, the main stumbling block in moving to Java, a popular language today, is developing a solution that's "object-oriented." One can very easily write "Pascalese" code in Java. (Of course, you can do the same in Smalltalk or C++.)

Mr. Liu's book takes one step-by-step through short chapters that can be read in 1 sitting or 2. Interspersed in the chapters are exercises to challenge the reader and scratch his head a little. These has greatly assisted me for one in understanding the topics.

A sampling of important items/lessons in the book: 1. What is the Programming Object (as opposed to programs & data-structures)? 2. Subtypes vs. Subclasses 3. Consistency and Polymorphism 4. Design Patterns "demystefied" (this book should prepare one to approach the G4 Design Patterns book with confidence)

I have always thought that the key to teaching oneself effectively, is getting hold of a good and right book for one's learning style. This could be also the right one for you.

A note on the author's use of Smalltalk: It should not really matter that it is not Java or C++. You can easily move on to them once you've grasped what Smalltalk, Objects and Design is all about.

-From an original SP-programmer turned OO-developer

Rating:
Summary: The Best Beginner Book on O-O Design & Programming
Review: Mr. Liu has done a great service to the software development community by writing a clear, concise, approachable book on O-O Design & Programming. Thank you, Mr. Liu.

Many old-timers and not-so-old-timers in the profession have been trained under the so-called "Structured-Procedural" development discipline, and many are having a difficult time handling the huge paradigm shift. The learning curve is just too steep, as my own experience has shown.

As an old colleague of mine told me once, the main stumbling block in moving to Java, a popular language today, is developing a solution that's "object-oriented." One can very easily write "Pascalese" code in Java. (Of course, you can do the same in Smalltalk or C++.)

Mr. Liu's book takes one step-by-step through short chapters that can be read in 1 sitting or 2. Interspersed in the chapters are exercises to challenge the reader and scratch his head a little. These has greatly assisted me for one in understanding the topics.

A sampling of important items/lessons in the book: 1. What is the Programming Object (as opposed to programs & data-structures)? 2. Subtypes vs. Subclasses 3. Consistency and Polymorphism 4. Design Patterns "demystefied" (this book should prepare one to approach the G4 Design Patterns book with confidence)

I have always thought that the key to teaching oneself effectively, is getting hold of a good and right book for one's learning style. This could be also the right one for you.

A note on the author's use of Smalltalk: It should not really matter that it is not Java or C++. You can easily move on to them once you've grasped what Smalltalk, Objects and Design is all about.

-From an original SP-programmer turned OO-developer

Rating:
Summary: High Fog Index
Review: Ok, its not THAT old, but software moves fast. And Liu was downplaying 'implementation inheritance' before most people understood that there was a problem with it. One of the few books out there that really explains objects, why they work, and how to work with them without shooting yourself in the foot. The book is honest about where objects work, and is not a 'rah-rah objects rock!' type book at all. Liu uses smalltalk as the language to discuss object oriented programming and design, but this is not a book just for Smalltalkers (although it does introduce you to smalltalk).

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating book, really teaches OOP
Review: Ok, its not THAT old, but software moves fast. And Liu was downplaying 'implementation inheritance' before most people understood that there was a problem with it. One of the few books out there that really explains objects, why they work, and how to work with them without shooting yourself in the foot. The book is honest about where objects work, and is not a 'rah-rah objects rock!' type book at all. Liu uses smalltalk as the language to discuss object oriented programming and design, but this is not a book just for Smalltalkers (although it does introduce you to smalltalk).

Rating:
Summary: FABULOUS BOOK !!!
Review: The old adage, "Don't judge a book by its cover" rings true with Chamond Liu's "Smalltalk, Objects, and Design". Its pea green, unappetizing exterior does not tempt most to buy...at least, I felt that way when I first spotted the book at a walk-in bookstore. However, I read all the glowing reviews about the book on Amazon, and based upon this, I decided to purchase the book. What can I say ? This book is awesome ! After stumbling through many OO, C++, Smalltalk, you-name-it-OO books in my lifetime, I have finally found THE BOOK which explains so clearly all those fuzzy OO concepts which I never quite understood before. This book is geared towards Smalltalk, and is a great beginner's Smalltalk book. However, even if your goal doesn't include learning Smalltalk - this book is highly advised. It is full of gems and surely has something to teach to even the most seasoned OO professional (regardless of her programming language background). Thank You Mr. Liu for taking the time and effort to write such a terrific book. You have done a great service to the software development community, with this effort. I anxiously await your next book.

My favorite chapter is Chap. 17, entitled "Two kinds of inheritance". It opened my eyes and taught me things that I had never imagined before, and I have read umpteen OO books.

Take my advice - BUY THIS BOOK ! Reading it will give you a huge competitive edge.

Rating:
Summary: FABULOUS BOOK !!!
Review: The old adage, "Don't judge a book by its cover" rings true with Chamond Liu's "Smalltalk, Objects, and Design". Its pea green, unappetizing exterior does not tempt most to buy...at least, I felt that way when I first spotted the book at a walk-in bookstore. However, I read all the glowing reviews about the book on Amazon, and based upon this, I decided to purchase the book. What can I say ? This book is awesome ! After stumbling through many OO, C++, Smalltalk, you-name-it-OO books in my lifetime, I have finally found THE BOOK which explains so clearly all those fuzzy OO concepts which I never quite understood before. This book is geared towards Smalltalk, and is a great beginner's Smalltalk book. However, even if your goal doesn't include learning Smalltalk - this book is highly advised. It is full of gems and surely has something to teach to even the most seasoned OO professional (regardless of her programming language background). Thank You Mr. Liu for taking the time and effort to write such a terrific book. You have done a great service to the software development community, with this effort. I anxiously await your next book.

My favorite chapter is Chap. 17, entitled "Two kinds of inheritance". It opened my eyes and taught me things that I had never imagined before, and I have read umpteen OO books.

Take my advice - BUY THIS BOOK ! Reading it will give you a huge competitive edge.

Rating:
Summary: An insightful OO design book
Review: The text is certainly the best Smalltalk book for beginners. But it also does a great job of mastering object-oriented design, which is unique in a language book. Almost every page is filled with insights. Its treatment of polymorphism, inheritance, containers, aggregations, classes vs ADT, are among the best. It also covers uses cases, CRC cards, design patterns, frameworks, and metaclasses. A must read book for anyone involved with OO technology. I wish I had this book when I was learning Smalltalk for the first time. It brings years of experience and wisdom in an easy-to-understand, motivating and concise language.

Rating:
Summary: An insightful OO design book
Review: The text is certainly the best Smalltalk bookfor beginners. But it also does a great job ofmastering object-oriented design, which is unique in a language book. Almost every page is filled with insights. Its treatment of polymorphism, inheritance, containers, aggregations, classes vs ADT, are among the best. It also covers uses cases, CRC cards, design patterns, frameworks, and metaclasses. A must read book for anyone involved with OO technology. I wish I had this book when I was learning Smalltalk for the first time. It brings years of experience and wisdom in an easy-to-understand, motivating and concise language.

Rating:
Summary: Example of succinct, entertaining writing
Review: This book is among my all-time favourites. The author understands how to write on technical subjects without being fatiguing. As Doug Lea is quoted "The chapter on design patterns is especially first-rate". I can only second that opinion.

Very much I liked the down-to-the-earth attitude presented. There are comparisons with C++ where necessary, and it's not the "I live in my dreamy clean Smalltalk world".

And if you always wanted to understand the metaclass thing, chapter 20 is the place to go. Excellent.

Rating:
Summary: Smalltalk, Objects, and Design
Review: This colorfully-written book balances object-oriented design with hands-on Smalltalk programming. By focusing on practical alternatives and trade-offs, it illustrates how experts make design choices. Several authorities have hailed this book as a unique and important contribution to the object-oriented literature. For more information and to see a sample chapter, go to http://www.browsebooks.com/Liu/index.html