---
created_at: '2016-11-01T20:28:59.000Z'
title: "“Design Patterns” Aren't (2002)"
url: http://perl.plover.com/yak/design/
author: Tomte
points: 310
story_text: 
comment_text: 
num_comments: 122
story_id: 
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parent_id: 
created_at_i: 1478032139
_tags:
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objectID: '12849757'

---
[Source](https://perl.plover.com/yak/design/ "Permalink to "Design Patterns" Aren't")

# "Design Patterns" Aren't

# "Design Patterns" Aren't

![][1]

**Length:** 5 minutes

## Description

The "design patterns" movement in software claims to have been inspired by the works of architect Christopher Alexander. But an examination of Alexander's books reveals that he was actually talking about something much more interesting.

Readers are cautioned that these slides were not originally intended for distribution on the web; they were written to accompany a _five minute long_ talk given at [Yet Another Perl Conference][2]. They should not, therefore, be taken as a complete or well-reasoned presentation of my thoughts on this matter.

  

## Complete Slides

1. ["Design Patterns" Aren't][3]
2. [Design Patterns][4]
3. [What is a Pattern?][5]
4. [For Example: The `iterator` Pattern][6]
5. [Is this really "a recurring design problem"?][7]
6. [Is this really "a recurring design problem"?][8]
7. [The Outcome?][9]
8. [Christopher Alexander][10]
9. [What's It About?][11]
10. [Alexander's Conundrum][12]
11. [Pattern Languages][13]
12. [Patterns vs. "Patterns"][14]
13. [We're Missing Out][15]

# [Postscript][16]

* * *

Return to: [Universe of Discourse main page][17] | [Perl Paraphernalia][17] | [Classes and Talks][17]

mjd-perl-yak+@plover.com

[1]: https://perl.plover.com/img/iterator.gif
[2]: http://www.yapc.org/
[3]: https://perl.plover.com/samples/slide001.html
[4]: https://perl.plover.com/samples/slide002.html
[5]: https://perl.plover.com/samples/slide003.html
[6]: https://perl.plover.com/samples/slide004.html
[7]: https://perl.plover.com/samples/slide005.html
[8]: https://perl.plover.com/samples/slide006.html
[9]: https://perl.plover.com/samples/slide007.html
[10]: https://perl.plover.com/samples/slide008.html
[11]: https://perl.plover.com/samples/slide009.html
[12]: https://perl.plover.com/samples/slide010.html
[13]: https://perl.plover.com/samples/slide011.html
[14]: https://perl.plover.com/samples/slide012.html
[15]: https://perl.plover.com/samples/slide013.html
[16]: https://perl.plover.com/samples/note.html
[17]: https://perl.plover.com/

