Re: Basic books on OOA&D

From: Shane Mingins (shanemingins_at_yahoo.com.clothes)
Date: 10/19/03 

Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2003 09:23:22 +1300

"Jacob Atzen" <jacob@aub.dk> wrote in message
news:87he28s1al.fsf@morpheus.aub.dk...
> "Shane Mingins" <shanemingins@yahoo.com.clothes> writes:
>
> I find XP, Agile Development and related methods very
> interesting. I've read parts of the CRC card book and Kent Beck's XP
> eXplained. But I still feel that I need a more thorough foundation in
> good OOD. XP an AD - it seems to me - require good OOA&D skills. And I
> often find myself stumbling in the dark or reverting to "procedural"
> OOP when trying to design something.

Yep --- know that feeling well ;-)

>
> > I found OOSC - Bertrand Meyer a difficult read. It was the first OO
book I
> > read. I am not sure (after a year of other reading) if I would find it
> > easier now or not. This is obviously only my experience.
>
> Did you learn something about analysis or design from it?

I would have to say no at the time but that was my mistake, IOW it should
not have been the first book I read (for others that may not be true), but
when I've finished my current reading list I am going to read it again.

>
> > Object Design - Wirfs-Brock/McKean was excellent for looking at
designing
> > objects with specific roles and responsibilities. This book is
lanaguage
> > indpendent but where needed, Java code is used in some places to
illustrate
> > points.
>
> Is "designing objects with specific roles and responsibilities"
> generally applicable? Is it good design to use objects in this way?

Seems to be :-) The Wirfs-Brock book was recommened to me by Ron Jeffries.

>
> > I have just "skim-read" Applying UML and Patterns (An Introduction to
> > Object-Oriented Analysis and Design and the Unified Process) - Craig
Larman.
> > This book is Martin Fowler's first choice as a book introducing OO
design.
> > I skimmed the chapters that were explaining UML notation and UP specific
but
> > enjoyed the chapters that detail an approach to OO design.
>
> Interesting. I will look into it. I've just borrowed "UML and the
> unified process", Jim Arlow and Ila Neustadt. I guess they're somewhat
> overlapping.

I have not read the book you refer to but an important point here is that it
was the design portions of Craig's book that I was recommending.

>
> Thank you for all your insights, it seems somewhat overwhelming with
> all those titles. Should you choose 2 titles for a novice designer
> such as me, which ones would it be?
>

Well I haven't read ALL the books available ... I guess the Wirfs-Brock is a
good starter. And do grab Agile Software Development because there is so
much good stuff in it --- from design principles to patterns --- and with
code which is really the universal language that we all speak ;-)

Follow other's suggestions .... go sit in the bookshop and spend some time
reading them ..... hopefully you have some stores with good selections.
Here in NZ the biggest stockist doesn't even have half the titles that I
have suggested. Sometimes Amazon provides sample chapters.

> Unfortunately I don't know anyone with the necessary time and
> prerequisites. Mentoring is not as common in Denmark as it is in the
> UK and the US.

I have the same challenge in NZ. Start looking for some user groups perhaps
in the language you are working in?

Cheers
Shane

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