John Brant

Martin Fowler

Kent Beck

Don Roberts

William Opdyke

As the application of object technology--particularly the Java programming language--has become commonplace, a new problem has emerged to confront the software development community. Significant numbers of poorly designed programs have been created by less-experienced developers, resulting in applications that are inefficient and hard to maintain and extend. Increasingly, software system professionals are discovering just how difficult it is to work with these inherited, "non-optimal" applications. For several years, expert-level object programmers have employed a growing collection of techniques to improve the structural integrity and performance of such existing software programs. Referred to as "refactoring," these practices have remained in the domain of experts because no attempt has been made to transcribe the lore into a form that all developers could use. . .until now. In Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code, renowned object technology mentor Martin Fowler breaks new ground, demystifying these master practices and demonstrating how software practitioners can realize the significant benefits of this new process. With proper training a skilled system designer can take a bad design and rework it into well-designed, robust code. In this book, Martin Fowler shows you where opportunities for refactoring typically can be found, and how to go about reworking a bad design into a good one. Each refactoring step is simple--seemingly too simple to be worth doing. Refactoring may involve moving a field from one class to another, or pulling some code out of a method to turn it into its own method, or even pushing some code up or down a hierarchy. While these individual steps may seem elementary, the cumulative effect of such small changes can radically improve the design. Refactoring is a proven way to prevent software decay. In addition to discussing the various techniques of refactoring, the author provides a detailed catalog of more than seventy proven refactorings with helpful pointers that teach you when to apply them; step-by-step instructions for applying each refactoring; and an example illustrating how the refactoring works. The illustrative examples are written in Java, but the ideas are applicable to any object-oriented programming language.

Improving the Design of Existing Code

Refactoring

Rap is an art form and a language all its own. Combining rhyme with a beat, read out loud, it is a powerful method of communication that kids relate to in increasing numbers. Rap can also be used to convey a positive message about such things as self-esteem, careers, friendship, love, relationships, school, money, drugs, sex, and many other concerns that kids have growing up in a sometimes confusing and dangerous world. Here in book form are tested, uplifting, positive raps that adults can use to teach their children, and kids can use to learn in writing their own.

Positive Rap for Kids on Love, Friendship, Self-Esteem, School, Money, Sex, and much more...

Rap to Live By

"Don, writing the letter to my dad was very cleansing. I actually cried as I was finishing it. I have never cried emotionally over my father before. I actually felt closer to him than I have ever felt. Thanks for giving me that gift." Wally "Famous" Amos. "Dear Dad, I wanted to always tell you that I hate you because you left me when I was only three..." Shameka--age 12. You will likely see yourself and your father in this book. Roberts' unique idea of having the writer talk directly to his father, instead of just about him, makes the exercise very intimate. Each letter captures a moment in time in the writer's life. Roberts asked them to sit down and, at that moment, write a letter to their father and say whatever they wanted to say to him as if he would read it TODAY.

Don Roberts

Books

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