Design Patterns FAQ

2012-05-02/Theo: providing a clear concept as to what a pattern is and is not raises the bar in terms of the quality of input to be received.

What is a design pattern?

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Are patterns 'written' or are they 'discovered'?

2012-04-27 ~ MM ~ Regarding whether patterns exist or are created, I think the answer is both. The same condition exists in a natural language -- and in a sense, patterns are just formalized versions of natural languages. And just as natural languages can describe existing relationships as well as new relationships that have not been created yet, so patterns can describe existing or new.

And following this analogy, the most meaningful new patterns, just like the most meaningful new words or sentences, are made of existing ones (or hyperlink to existing ones at a lower level), rather than made up whole to apply to an entire condition in isolation.

That is, they are maps that provide meaningful (symmetrical) correspondences to the realities, modeled as a structural network. And the realities are either existing, or potential (generative). In this way the language (the patterns) functions as a generative system -- in a real sense, actually able to create new realities.

In this sense, I see patterns as sitting somewhere between the formalism of previous software, and the informal quality of natural language -- and a kind of bridge between the two.

What is the difference between a design pattern and a recipe?

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What is the difference between a design pattern and a best practice/coding gem/lesson learned?

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What is the difference between a design pattern and a regulation?

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What is the difference between a design pattern and an industry standard?

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What are some of the standard reference works on design patterns?

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Where are some good places to find out more about design patterns?

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