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Book missing from python line-up?

Frank Sergeant frank.sergeant at redneck.net
Thu May 25 13:40:43 EDT 2000 
Nick Bower <N.Bower at ses.curtin.edu.au> writes:

> I colleague the other day, who was familiar with various procedural
> languages said:
> 
> "I want to learn OOP.  Can you recommend a book (and language)?"

I recommend _Object-oriented Software Construction_ (either 1st or 2nd
edition) by Meyer, as it delves deeply into OO and what it means and
what it requires and what it implies.  It was the first _principled_
book on OO that I read, as opposed to the "oooh, objects -- cool!"
drivel, such as the _Tao of Objects_ book.  OOSC should give you 
some things to think about and Python will free you from some of
its straight-jacket.  I am not in the Eiffel camp, but I think
Meyer does a good job of presenting OO and many important principles.

Even more than OOSC, I recommend almost any book on Smalltalk.  It
is easy to find a bad Java book but it is hard to find a bad Smalltalk
book.  In particular, I recommend _Smalltalk, Objects, and Design_
(you may need to find it used, but there may be a 2nd edition soon?)
by Chamond Liu and _Smalltalk -- An Introduction to Application 
Development Using VisualWorks_ by Hopkins and Horan.  I am in the
Smalltalk camp and think Python and Smalltalk are very similar and
that studying OO in Smalltalk will improve your use of OO in Python.

I hope that helps.


  -- Frank
  frank at canyon-medical.com
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