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Head First Design Patterns is an excellent introductory text for design patterns, plus object oriented design in general. Each chapter in the main part of the book covers one or two of the most common design patterns in great depth, including motivation, sample code, exercises, as well as answering many of the questions a reader is likely to have. Additionally, one of the things that makes the book great is that each chapter uses the context of the design pattern to introduce one or two important object oriented design principles such as the Open-Closed Principle and the Principle of Least Knowledge. Less common patterns are covered in the appendix, although in much less depth.
I bought this book for my 17-year-old nephew -- who is in the second year of a high school computer programming course -- as a companion to the Gang of Four book. I think the two books work well together, with Head First Design Patterns working as a more accessible introduction to design patterns, and the Gang of Four book serving as a reference for later on. He definitely finds the Head First book easier to read as a beginner. Even I, with a college degree in Computer Science and 20 years in the software development industry, find it valuable, at least as a review.
For those wondering about which edition they will get, I bought this book through Amazon and received the tenth anniversary edition, updated for Java 8. The main difference is that it takes advantage of the newly-introduced Lambda Expressions. Although the book uses Java throughout, C# developers will have little if any trouble with the examples. In many cases, the code is identical.
Slight nitpick: Some of the patterns in the appendix are given short shrift in the interest of space. For example, the section on the Visitor Pattern leaves out the important fact that one of the main motivations for the pattern is to overcome the limitations of languages that support only single dispatch. Said another way, the Visitor Pattern is trivial to implement in languages that support multiple dispatch. For more detail on these design patterns, I recommend the Gang of Four book, or online resources.
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Customers say
Customers find this design patterns book excellent and comprehensive, explaining complex concepts in an accessible manner. Moreover, the book makes learning design patterns fun, with multiple examples in Java and real-life scenarios, and customers appreciate its easy-to-understand examples. Additionally, the writing style is well-suited for learning, and customers enjoy the book's humor.
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169 customers mention content, 163 positive, 6 negative
Great book, I should have read it years ago. I like the design principles explanation and that is not merely a patterns catalog.Read more
This definitely is an excellent book. However, chapter 4 (Factory Pattern) could drive any sane person crazy....Read more
Good book. A little cute, but helpful.Read more
Amazing book that puts abstract concepts in very easy to understand examples. I refer to it often for a refresher.Read more
168 customers mention informative, 161 positive, 7 negative
...this book DOES DO, is offer a SIMPLE, VERY EASY TO UNDERSTAND, VERY INFORMATIVE, AND ENTERTAINING way to LEARN the most useful design patterns....Read more
...While the traditional Gof Design Patterns Book is a good reference book, this book is more practical and specific for learning....Read more
...So it is a very useful book both for the student and the teacher. We need a translation in italian SOON! ;)...Read more
great concepts broken down in bite size nuggets. the examples are written in Java i use c# but i did not find it hard to follow the bookRead more
136 customers mention design patterns, 129 positive, 7 negative
Head First Design Patterns - Now, to know is simpleRead more
Perhaps THE best book on design patterns out there....Read more
This is the best design patterns book i have ever laid hands on....Read more
Simple the best book on OOP and Design Patterns I've ever read. I've recogmened it to all my co-workersRead more
113 customers mention readability, 93 positive, 20 negative
...Great reference book, and easy to understand and retain information. This book will help a programmer transform into a software engineer....Read more
This book is very clear and easy to read. Highly recommend for those new to OO programming. A great place to start learning design patterns.Read more
A clear and easy to understand presentation of design patterns in software development. Good job.Read more
This book is very easy to read and gives a lot of great examples. You not only get the "HOW" explained, but you get the "WHY" explained too....Read more
69 customers mention entertaining, 64 positive, 5 negative
...but it was enough to see its an amazing book that explains well and is fun and easy to read....Read more
...GoF which was a bit heavy for me... this is one simple, clear and fun to read. Really enjoying it now :)Read more
...The examples are "crystal" clear and entertaining at the same time....Read more
It can be your first pattern book. And it is a interesting book that helps you keep reading!...Read more
42 customers mention examples, 38 positive, 4 negative
I love this book one of my favorites, a lot of good examples and how the author explains all different scenarios is really cool, easy to understandRead more
...It's a lot of fun, and chock full of great information and examples that you'll be able to apply to your own projects right away.Read more
...PROS: Great writing, great summaries, and great examples, with code, that don't go too far into the weeds....Read more
...There is a good use of humor, pictures, abstract analogies, and concrete examples to help convey the lessons of each chapter and while this is like...Read more
35 customers mention writing style, 32 positive, 3 negative
Well written, and very easy to follow. Both a good introduction and a good reference book for anyone interested in design patterns.Read more
...So in addition to being a well written book I believe I'm also just very ready for this topic....Read more
...It's very well written, verging on entertaining. The end result is a clear understanding of what each design pattern is and how it can be used....Read more
...It is written well and is a great choice!Read more
26 customers mention humor, 22 positive, 4 negative
Really insteresting, funny and very complete book. I recommend this book to newbies and people who just want to remember patterns.Read more
...It also had some great humor that allows the core principles to stick with you. Loved the book from cover to cover!Read more
...This book does what it promises. Using humor, wit, and a friendly writing style, the authors implant the most useful design patterns in your brain....Read more
...Head first books have always had this amazing sense of humor and tackiness that makes something that is considerably dry palpable....Read more
All images are squashed on the Kindle edition, affecting readability - get paper version instead
This is strictly a comment for the Kindle edition. I find the formatting of the pictures unreadable, and that this has a very negative impact on the usability of the book. IThe images, which are core to the text, are centered at 50% width of the page. This requires me to manually zoom in each time I want to see something clearly, a process which I find rather cumbersome to say the least. I've tested this both on a (high resolution) Samsung Galaxy S2 Tablet (Android Kindle; see screenshots) as well as my old Kindle DXG. Forget about seeing them on the OG Paperwhite. This issue is not unique to this book, however I do wish the authors would take the time to ensure their content is readable on the Kindle editions.
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EinKundeReviewed in Germany on April 14, 2011
Eine Alternative zu trockenen Pattern-Katalogen
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase -
DanielReviewed in Mexico on November 22, 2016
El mejor libro que he adquirido en mi vida
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase -
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- Kindle CustomerReviewed in India on March 8, 2020
Must read for a easy, fun understanding of design patterns
