Hello, all, I had a page for the VisualWorks SWiki
Of course, I'm looking forward to the day when SELF is on as many platforms that Smalltalk is. :-) ('cause prototyping objects sounds like a whole bunch of fun as compared to creating classes and then instantiating and initializing objects ... I just finished an enlightening paper about metaclasses that had me thinking: "Butbutbut, aren't traits a simple and elegant way to handle all this?" (my opinion))
I'm a CORBA systems designer at work (IONA's OrbixMT). I'm heavily into Design Patterns ISBN 0201633612 using them to build distributed systems. I use UML to model my designs, so I'm a good customer of http://www.rational.com since I'm on Rose everyday. Then I prototype my design in Smalltalk. Since, however, I'm working on the SGI currently, I implement my systems in C++ (*SIGH*). So, Bjarne's book ISBN 0201889544 is a constant friend at work during my implementation phase, as well as Rational's Purify. I use the RogueWave Tools.h++ library to get as close to Smalltalk as I can for the collection storage and iteration work.
I'm INFJ/INTJ (I really should retake the MyersBriggs ... people think I'm very dynamic and outgoing), which makes me a shy KentBeck (I wear a bracelet with the inscription WWKD -- WhatWouldKentDo). I've absorbed as much SmalltalkBestPracticePatterns as possible; it's amazing how much quicker my C++ code compiles (!) and how much more flexible the system is. (Yes, the ExtremeProgramming stuff works even for C++.) Lotsa small functions/lotsa small classes.
I've just completed a Genetic Algorithm implementation in Smalltalk for Windows NT and Linux. I prefer work that emphasizes OOAD and mathematics (e.g. I finished a gig at Raytheon working with Greg Weidman and JohnVenable for a distributed system. One of its components was an RF monitor. John designed it, and I implemented a simulated RF spectrum using a fractal algorithm -- good stuff).
NVCC Classes I Teach/Taught
Pages on the WikiWikiWeb to which I've contributed:
Books I'm reading (besides the ones listed above):
Books I've read (several times each) and recommend:
- UML Distilled ISBN 0201325632 -- one of the ShortBooks; chapter 3 has illuminated use cases for me better than anything else I've read.
- The Moor's Last Sigh ISBN 0679420495 -- Salman Rushdie has a way of writing that challenges me, makes me cry and makes me hope at the same time.
- Lord of Light [ASIN0380448343] printed the same year I was born. Same reactions to a very different text.
- Testaments Betrayed ISBN 0060927518 -- a companion to GEB; gave me a new way of seeing modern works (painting/music/the novel). I read Salman's books again after this one.
- The Tao of Pooh ISBN 0525244581 -- who follows the Tao better?
- The World of Pooh ISBN 0525444475 -- ... so read the original, too!
- Lathe of Heaven ISBN 0380791854
- Zen Flesh, Zen Bones ISBN 0804806446
- Go Rin No Sho (or Book of Five Rings) ISBN 0517415283
- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance : An Inquiry into Values ISBN 0688171664 -- actually, VERY western in its inquiry, but reads well along with Raise High the Roof Beam Carpenters and Seymour : An Introduction ISBN 0316769517 . WARNING! Do not read these books one after the other, when sad, or when listening to Bach's Cello Suites [ASIN B0000025QM], or having viewed Vincent and Theo (currently not available)
- GoedelEscherBach (GEB)
- Fermat's Enigma ISBN 0385493622 -- a tale of mathematics, modern and ancient, and the trail of inquiry that let to the proof of Fermat's Last Theorem.
- being digital ISBN 0679762906 -- an out of date book :-) that's a good read anyway. My laptop is worth a lot more than I thought it was!
- Summa of the Summa ISBN 0898703174 -- an honest summary of the Summa Theologica (i.e. Peter Kreeft doesn't pollute the Summa with his views or writing style). Explores fundamental questions: "Does God exist?" "What makes us happy?" etc.
CategoryHomePage
Hi there Douglas - are you still here? You last edited this page on 2000/11/25 and it looks interesting, so I was wondering if you might update it. Not least, lots of the links are broken 8-(
See his review:
Douglas Auclair