SmallTalk, Objects, and Design

"Three of my favorite topics are Smalltalk, objects, and design. Chamond Liu's book is the perfect blend of these topics. I heartily recommend this book to practitioners who don't want to read a dry treatment on design methodology or yet another programming book. You will be treated to elements of good design, a historical perspective, design patterns demystified and coded in Smalltalk, and just the right mix of Smalltalk programming and object concepts." - Rebecca Wirfs-Brock, author of Designing Object-Oriented Software. "Well-written and well-thought-out.... The chapter on design patterns especially is first-rate." - Doug Lea, author of Concurrent Programming in Java, and Object-Oriented System Development. "One of those rare books that rewards both beginners and experts with insights appropriate to their levels. In addition, the writing style-combining incisiveness and grace-makes it a real pleasure to read." - Dave Collins, author of Designing Object-Oriented User Interfaces. "Best book on Smalltalk I've seen!" - Sherman Alpert, author of The Design Patterns Smalltalk Companion. This reference and text treats the Smalltalk programming system and the web of object-oriented ideas within and around it. Thus it is more than a guide to the language; it also examines Smalltalk in its technical and historical setting, and along the way addresses the questions that every Smalltalk developer sooner or later naturally wonders about. Assuming nothing more than general programming experience, it begins with what objects and classes are, and eventually progresses to subtle matters such as the distinction between types and classes. Going beyond typical programming language books, it also covers the most important design patterns and how to write them in Smalltalk. The thrust then is not merely programming in Smalltalk with objects, but thinking and designing effectively with objects.