The Object-Oriented Thought Process (3rd Edition)

The Object-Oriented Thought Process

Third Edition

Matt Weisfeld

An introduction to object-oriented concepts for developers looking to master modern application practices.

Object-oriented programming (OOP) is the foundation of modern programming languages, including C++, Java, C#, and Visual Basic .NET. By designing with objects rather than treating the code and data as separate entities, OOP allows objects to fully utilize other objects’ services as well as inherit their functionality. OOP promotes code portability and reuse, but requires a shift in thinking to be fully understood. Before jumping into the world of object-oriented programming languages, you must first master The Object-Oriented Thought Process.

Written by a developer for developers who want to make the leap to object-oriented technologies as well as managers who simply want to understand what they are managing, The Object-Oriented Thought Process provides a solution-oriented approach to object-oriented programming. Readers will learn to understand object-oriented design with inheritance or composition, object aggregation and association, and the difference between interfaces and implementations. Readers will also become more efficient and better thinkers in terms of object-oriented development.

This revised edition focuses on interoperability across various technologies, primarily using XML as the communication mechanism. A more detailed focus is placed on how business objects operate over networks, including client/server architectures and web services.

“Programmers who aim to create high quality software–as all programmers should–must learn the varied subtleties of the familiar yet not so familiar beasts called objects and classes. Doing so entails careful study of books such as Matt Weisfeld’s The Object-Oriented Thought Process.”

–Bill McCarty, author of Java Distributed Objects, and Object-Oriented Design in Java

Matt Weisfeld is an associate professor in business and technology at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio. He has more than 20 years of experience as a professional software developer, project manager, and corporate trainer using C++, Smalltalk, .NET, and Java. He holds a BS in systems analysis, an MS in computer science, and an MBA in project management. Weisfeld has published many articles in major computer trade magazines and professional journals.

This book provides a compass that will point developers in the right direction by breaking mental paradigms. It does so by getting them to think in terms of states instead of functions, and objects as components, independent of the application being developed, with well-defined interfaces and properties that can be used to create services.

I personally learned a lot about object-orientation, which I can apply to analysis. This book is a quick and easy read, and packs a lot of information and concepts between its covers. I highly recommend it and give it five stars for clarity and content.


Thank God, Finally I Get OOP   May 20, 2003
16 out of 16 found this review helpful

I can program in C, Assembler, Motorola 68HC11 assembly language and have never been able to shift my thinking from procedural to object oriented programming. I've bought 8 books on Java and C++, trying to understand OOP (Object Oriented Programming) and never got the hang of it. I also couldn't get a straight answer from any supposed C++/Java programmers as to what OOP was. Finally, after reading this book it's cleard up my issues with OOP. With my other books by Deitel, Schlidt, and SAMS, I've lost interest in trying to figure out their meaning of OOP. This book I've shifted my thought process in two hours. This is by far the most useful book I've ever read on any aspect of programming. I reccomend this book to anyone starting out programming or trying to shift from procedural to an OOP language. I wouldn't worry that it has Java examples if you're trying to learn C++, he teachs a thought process and different view point. All I can say is "Thank God this finally makes sense to me!"


Must buy!   May 20, 2001
Ira J Bliss Jr (Buffalo Grove, IL United States)
19 out of 20 found this review helpful

This book is only 200 pages but it is an EXCELLENT book for people that are trying to get a better understanding of Object-Oriented concepts! Most of the Java books that I have read don't cover the type of information found in this book. And the best part about it, is that it is very easy to read. After reading through most of the chapters, I have found that I was able to pick the book up again after a year....read a few select chapters again and get more out of it!

It really helps you to achieve a solid understanding.


Does what it sets out to do   April 12, 2003
Bruce S. Gruenbaum (Arcadia, CA USA)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

I have been in the industry for a while and I bought this to resolve some of the questions that I had on OO design, principally on the debate between inheritance and composition.

I was looking for a light read that gave me objective viewpoints and from that perspective I was not disappointed with this book.

As I started reading it I felt that chapters 1 through 4 did little more than cover language constructs that you could pick up from any good tutorial on Java. This I felt was unnecessary considering what *I* had bought the book for. As I reflect on that, though, I realize that this book is indeed a great first read for people looking to come to grips with OO development and that these chapters were therefore a necessary section.

My focus is C++ and C# and I was worried that the language examples would be pointless. That turned out not to be the case. Mr Weisfeld succeeds very well in illustrating the concepts of OO with Java without requiring any depth of knowledge of Java itself.

The latter chapters were invaluable, especially the discussions on Composition vs Inheritence, Aggregation vs Association, etc. Mr Weisfeld succeeds in explaining these concepts very well and conveying to the audience the relative merits of each in a very unbiased way.

Good book, well worth the money.


Intro to OO Instructors - Adopt this text!   May 22, 2003
Bruce M. Decker (Barrington, NH USA)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

In my opinion, this book belongs right up there with the classic "GoF" Design Patterns book on any software engineers bookshelf - it's just not as well known. I use this book as the text for an introductory OO class I teach at a nearby college. As far as I know, there is no other book out there which really introduces the subject of "Thinking OO"; yet thinking in objects is critical if students & software practitioners are going to understand the advantages of OO languages, design, etc.
The advantage of this book is that it is very well written; the authors have considered their intended audience carefully. Some of my students are new to software, and others have been writing procedural code for 20+ years. The experienced programmers have the hardest time switching paradigms, so when they tell you the book really helped them (finally) understand OO principles, it is noteworthy. Some may be critical of the book because lacks academic rigor; but if your objective is for your students to comprehend & embrace OO, you need to adopt this book for your introductory OO course.