Design Patterns Explained: A New Perspective on Object-Oriented Design

Building by Adding Distinctions

Now that you have a handle on some of the design patterns, it is time to see how they can work together. For Alexander, it is not enough to simply describe individual patterns. He uses them to develop a new paradigm for design.

His book, The Timeless Way of Building, is both about patterns and how they work together. This is a beautiful book. It is one of my favorite books both on a personal level and on a professional level. It has helped me appreciate things in my life, to understand the environment in which I live, and also to achieve better software design.

How can this be? How can a book about designing buildings and towns have such a profound influence on designing software? I believe it is because it describes ...