[Cuis-dev] Object Oriented Design & Thinking

[Andres Valloud]

https://www.wirfs-brock.com/PDFs/A_Brief-Tour-of-RDD.pdf

On 7/7/24 5:51 AM, Ignacio Sniechowski via Cuis-dev wrote:
> Hi Cuisers,
> 
> Hope you’re all doing well.
> 
> I’ve been using Cuis for several years now, and I absolutely love it. To 
> me, it’s the perfect embodiment of how a system should be. The first 
> time I delved into “Design Principles behind Smalltalk” by D. Ingalls, 
> it was a memorable experience. In that article, I discovered an 
> impressive description and roadmap for building systems—especially the 
> concept of Mastery. I find Cuis aligned perfectly with that.
> However, I find the other incarnations of Smalltalk (such as Squeak and 
> Pharo) a bit too complex for my understanding. There are just too many 
> classes, frameworks, and overlapping technologies.
> Especially the Mastery principle. I find the other incarnations of 
> Smalltalk (Squeak & Pharo) too complex for me to understand. Too many 
> Classes, too many frameworks, overlapping technologies...
> 
> As time went by, I realized that I’m still far from being a decent 
> Smalltalker. I suspect the issue lies in how I approach problem design. 
> Choosing the right objects is challenging. For instance, let’s say I’m 
> planning a “Book” application. My initial design might involve objects 
> like Book, Page, Paragraph, and Image—a kind of hierarchy. But then I 
> get lost when it comes to assigning tasks to specific objects.
> 
> While I’m not a professional developer, I heavily rely on programming. 
> Over the past few years, my work in the finance field has led me to use 
> Python extensively (thanks to libraries like pandas, matplotlib, numpy, 
> and yfinance). Python allows me to write rapid code that gets the job 
> done, but it’s not a language I particularly enjoy working with.
> 
> Now, let’s circle back to Smalltalk. I’ve hit a wall. I’ve come to the 
> conclusion that it’s my mental framework that needs addressing. 
> Smalltalk isn’t just a language; or an environment and a collection of 
> classes. To truly grasp it, you need to immerse yourself in its 
> philosophy and shift how you think.
> 
> I've tried to focus on thinking in objects. But I still have the feeling 
> that I am missing a lot.
> 
> Recently, a friend of mine—who considers Smalltalk a brilliant 
> foundational idea despite its limitations (limited libraries and the 
> usual drawbacks)—recommended a few books that “could help.” Here’s the list:
> 
> “The Object-Oriented Thought Process” by Matt Weisfeld
> “Object-Oriented Programming” by Brad Cox
> “Object Thinking” by David West
> “A Touch of Class” by Bertrand Meyer
> 
> While this list isn’t exhaustive, I’d love to hear your recommendations. 
> Smalltalk is an exciting journey of experimentation and immersion, and 
> I’m thoroughly enjoying it. However, I believe I need a solid background 
> in object-oriented design and implementation.
> 
> Any guidance you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thanks in advance!
> Nacho
> 
> PS: Sorry for the long mail.
> 
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