"Head First Design Patterns" Released by O'Reilly

For Immediate Release
For more information, a review copy, cover art, or an interview with
the authors, contact:
Kathryn Barrett (707) 827-7094 or kathrynb@oreilly.com
	
An Approach to Design Patterns That'll Go Straight to Your Head
O'Reilly Releases "Head First Design Patterns"

Sebastopol, CA--Imagine if, after putting together a list of the most
tedious tasks and aggravating problems you needed to resolve in a given
week, you discovered that someone else had already solved your problems.
And not just solved them, but solved them in a way that is practical and
elegant and that provides you with a springboard for solving later
problems. You probably wouldn't try to solve them all over again.  The
idea behind design patterns is that frequently the challenges you're
working on have already been tackled by other developers. Using design
patterns, you can take advantages of the best practices and experience of
others, so that you can spend your time on...something else.  Why, then,
does the mention of design patterns elicit groans from so many developers?
Because, as is often the case, it's a wonderfully simple idea that seems
devilishly slippery to grasp. Unless you go at it head first.

"Head First Design Patterns" (O'Reilly, US $44.95) by Eric Freeman and
Elisabeth Freeman, with Kathy Sierra and Bert Bates--creators of the Head
First series--takes a different approach. The Head First authors know that
you want to learn about design patterns in a way that won't put you to
sleep: you want to learn about the patterns that matter--why to use them,
when to use them, how to use them (and when NOT to use them). But you
don't just want to see how patterns look in a book; you want to know how
they look "in the wild"--in their native environment. In other words, in
real-world applications. You also want to learn how patterns are used in
the Java API, and how to exploit Java's built-in pattern support in your
own code.

You also want to learn the real OO design principles and why everything
your boss told you about inheritance might be wrong (and what to do
instead). You want to learn how those principles will help the next time
you're up a creek without a design pattern paddle.

Most importantly, you want to learn the "secret language" of design
patterns so that you can hold your own with your co-worker (and impress
cocktail party guests) when he casually mentions his stunningly clever use
of Command, Facade, Proxy, and Factory in between sips of a martini.
You'll easily counter with your deep understanding of why Singleton isn't
as simple as it sounds, how the Factory is so often misunderstood, or on
the real relationship between Decorator, Facade, and Adapter.

If you've ever seen a Head First book, then you'll know what to expect: a
visually rich format designed for the way your brain works. Using the
latest in neurobiology, cognitive science, and learning theory, "Head
First Design Patterns" loads patterns into your brain in a way that
sticks.

Advance praise for "Head First Design Patterns":

"I received the book yesterday and started to read it...and I couldn't
stop. This is definitely tres 'cool.' It is fun, but they cover a lot of
ground and they are right to the point. I'm really impressed."
--Erich Gamma, IBM Distinguished Engineer, and coauthor of "Design
Patterns"

"I feel like a thousand pounds of book have just been lifted off my head."
--Ward Cunningham, inventor of the Wiki and founder of the Hillside Group

"This book is close to perfect, because of the way it combines expertise
and readability. It speaks with authority and it reads beautifully."
--David Gelernter, Professor of Computer Science, Yale University

"One of the funniest and smartest books on software design I've ever read."
--Aaron LaBerge, VP Technology, ESPN.com

Further reviews can be read at:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/hfdesignpat/reviews.html

Additional Resources:

Chapter 3, "The Decorator Pattern," is available online at:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/hfdesignpat/chapter/index....

For more information about the book, including table of contents, index,
author bios, and samples, see:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/hfdesignpat/index.html

For a cover graphic in JPEG format, go to:
ftp://ftp.ora.com/pub/graphics/book_covers/hi-res/0596007...

Head First Design Patterns
Eric Freeman and Elisabeth Freeman with Kathy Sierra and Bert Bates
ISBN: 0-596-00712-4, 638 pages, $44.95 US, $66.95 CA
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938
1-707-827-7000
http://www.oreilly.com

About O'Reilly
O'Reilly Media, Inc. is the premier information source for leading-edge
computer technologies. The company's books, conferences, and web sites
bring to light the knowledge of technology innovators. O'Reilly books,
known for the animals on their covers, occupy a treasured place on the
shelves of the developers building the next generation of software.
O'Reilly conferences and summits bring alpha geeks and forward-thinking
business leaders together to shape the revolutionary ideas that spark new
industries. From the Internet to XML, open source, .NET, Java, and web
services, O'Reilly puts technologies on the map. For more information:
http://www.oreilly.com

# # #

O'Reilly is a registered trademark of O'Reilly Media, Inc. All other
trademarks are property of their respective owners.