[Edu-sig] Design patterns

[Chuck Allison]

Hello Kirby,

Since this discussion has swerved a little, I'd like to pose a query.
I've been using patterns since 1995 and am teaching a course starting
Wednesday (a full semester course) on Design Patterns using the Heads
First book. My query: do you have any ideas you might proffer for
programming assignments? I'd like to give a handful of programming
assignments throughout the semester that aren't as short and cutesy
as what's in the book. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

Monday, August 22, 2005, 11:08:42 AM, you wrote:

KU> There's a long history of coders seeking consensus, but not arriving at any
KU> set in stone answers (no carved tablets at the Smithsonian), in part because
KU> the backdrop is always shifting, in terms of languages and technologies.

KU> The design patterns movement is the latest chapter in the series, drawing
KU> inspiration from that 'pattern language' book beloved by the architects, and
KU> followed by a big splash by the Gang of Four (an allusion to recent Chinese
KU> political history).  O'Reilly's 'Head First Design Patterns' is one of the
KU> most pedagogically sophisticated in this tradition to date (I'm still
KU> somewhat awed by it, though I've heard others express a wish for still
KU> greater content density): 
KU> http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/hfdesignpat/ 

KU> We had the structured programming revolution, which tossed out the GOTOs,
KU> and the object oriented revolution.  Under the hood, we've been moving to
KU> virtual machine platforms with their own byte code languages.  This paradigm
KU> has taken over at Microsoft and places (i.e. .NET).  Python is one of these
KU> VM languages, as are Java and C# (the latter being system languages, less
KU> agile, yet very necessary, as implementation languages for Python itself
KU> among other things).

-- 
Best regards,
 Chuck