Design Pattern Course Expectations

Ah, embarking on the journey of design patterns, are we? It's akin to a sailor first discovering the compass – the seas of software development suddenly seem a bit less daunting and a lot more navigable. Let me paint you a picture of the transformation you're about to experience. First off, **the way you see problems will change**. Remember those times when you'd stare at a screen, feeling lost in a maze of code, unsure of how to structure your solution? With design patterns in your toolkit, you'll have these "Aha!" moments where complex issues start to look like familiar challenges. It's like recognizing an old friend in a crowd; suddenly, the overwhelming cacophony of problems starts having familiar faces, and you'll think, "Hey! I know how to handle this!"
Next, your confidence will soar. Imagine walking into a room, knowing you're equipped with solutions tried and tested by countless software warriors before you. Design patterns are like tales of old, passed down through generations of developers, ensuring that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. When faced with a new project or challenge, instead of anxiety, you'll feel a thrilling excitement, thinking, "Alright, let’s match the problem to a pattern and craft a masterpiece!" And let's talk about communication with your peers. Ever had those moments when you and a teammate are speaking the same language, but it feels like you're worlds apart? With design patterns, you get this shared vocabulary. You’ll find conversations flowing effortlessly, like two musicians jamming together, perfectly in sync. You'll toss around terms like "Singleton" or "Observer", and there'll be this mutual nod of understanding. It's like learning the secret handshake of a club you never knew you were a part of! Lastly, but oh so importantly, you'll feel a deeper connection to your craft. Each design pattern is a story, a lesson distilled from countless hours of problem-solving by brilliant minds. As you learn them, you'll not just be acquiring skills, but also inheriting a legacy. You’ll begin to see software development as an art, as a tapestry of patterns woven together to create something beautiful and functional. So, my friend, as you dive into design patterns, expect not just a transformation in your technical approach, but a beautiful evolution in your relationship with software development.

This course uses a number of interactive features to help you learn the Gang of Four Patterns.
You may want to review the following features before starting your coursework.

None of the design patterns in this course describes new or unproven designs. I have included only designs that have been applied more than once in different systems and most of these designs have been documented before by the Gang of Four. Although these designs are not new, they are captured in a new and accessible way, that is

As a catalog of design patterns having a consistent format".

Despite the size of the course and website, the design patterns on this site capture only a fraction of what an expert might know. It does not contain patterns dealing with

1. concurrency,
2. distributed programming or
3. real-time programming.

It does contain any application domain-specific patterns. It does not tell you how to build user interfaces, how to write device drivers, or how to use an object-oriented database. Each of these areas has its own patterns and are currently being modeled by various developers.