Book Review: Refactoring to Patterns
Summary: Rated 7 out of 10 possible points. Fine work on two computing buzzwords, "Refactoring" AND "Patterns". No-fluff approach to refactoring, the author provides a consistent and pragmatic approach to this young discipline. Should be a 9 out of 10, but only covers GoF Design Patterns.
Joshua Kerievsky's "Refactoring to Patterns" (RTP) hit my bookshelf a few months ago (October of 2004). At the time, I was preoccupied with other activities, so I did my usual cursory scan of the pages, looking for interesting and pertinent information and then shelved it.
Now having given this book proper coverage, I can say that Kerievsky has provided a broad base of information on a topic that has only recently (within the last 3 or so years) been given "discipline" status: refactoring. The lack of exposure and practice in refactoring and the still narrow usage of patterns in practice remains sparse because of the lack of distribution of knowledge and consistency in these disciplines. Kerievsky provides a base of knowledge and direction and lends considerable breadth in his experience to guide the refactoring practitioner. He provides reasonable narratives and examples.
If you are a practitioner of refactoring and feel that you or your organization should become more pattern aware, this book is a MUST.
Useful in the context of GoF, many practitioners will find this book valuable. Since I couldn't give it a 9 because it isn't titled "Refactoring to Design Patterns", perhaps Kerievsky could put his touch on Analysis, Enterprise Integration or Enterprise Architecture Patterns in a similar manner in another book in this series.