[Dev] Anybody Listening?
Tom Bryan
dev@trilug.org
Thu, 8 Aug 2002 21:39:08 +0000
On Thursday 08 August 2002 02:31 pm, Justin Johnson wrote:
> Does "Thinking in Java" do much in the way of real wprld examples?
No. At least it didn't 4 years ago when I was reading it. The examples
were made so that the author could present them at his group training
classes. Thus, they are all bite-sized examples that only attempt to
illustrate the point at hand. I remember being frustrated by the
example code, but the prose was pretty good.
> I
> understand the basics principles of OOP, but as far as applying that
> to a real world problem, well I haven't gotten there yet. Is this a
> good book for that?
IMHO, no. A co-worker once recommended a book that taught Java or some
Java library by implementing an entire application over the course of
the book. I've forgotten the title (never read it), but I'll see if I
can track down the recommendation.
> I would really like to see a applied example of
> modeling classes based on real world objects / situations. I think
> this would help me get the hang of OO.
Understood. I would probably go to SourceForge for that. Ask around or
find an app that you like. Then read the source code. :)
I think that "Design Patterns" is actually great for focusing on
techniques of object collaboration.
> > If you want something quick, easy, and OO, Python and/or Ruby
> > would be a good choice.
>
> I've heard Python mentioned before in this light. Any good book
> suggestions there?
I was fond of Programming Python. It started with a simple little flat
script and then built it up, introducing new features in each chapter.
Later in the book, the chapters are more self-contained. It was
written before Python 1.5.2, IIRC, and I'm not sure whether there has
been an update.
For an experienced programmer, Learning Python is probably a good
choice. It seemed to introduce all of the essential features of the
language, some key libraries, and a few interesting tidbits at a good
pace. I haven't actually read any other Python books.
Another option is your local Triangle Python User Group (plug!).
http://dev.zope.org/Members/tbryan/TriZPUG/FrontPage
---Tom