--- product_id: 25281264 title: "Programming on Purpose: Essays on Software Design" brand: "prentice hall" price: "NZ$4" currency: NZD in_stock: false reviews_count: 5 category: "Book" url: https://www.desertcart.nz/products/25281264-programming-on-purpose-essays-on-software-design store_origin: NZ region: New Zealand --- # Programming on Purpose: Essays on Software Design **Brand:** prentice hall **Price:** NZ$4 **Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Programming on Purpose: Essays on Software Design by prentice hall - **How much does it cost?** NZ$4 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Currently out of stock - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.nz](https://www.desertcart.nz/products/25281264-programming-on-purpose-essays-on-software-design) ## Best For - prentice hall enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted prentice hall brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Full description not available ## Images ![Programming on Purpose: Essays on Software Design - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51DHBRDA3ZL._SL500_.jpg) ![Programming on Purpose: Essays on Software Design - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31oNBTeUEOL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Five Stars *by M***T on Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2018* I always enjoy PJ Plauger's writing. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Simple, powerful ideas *by B***N on Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2001* Few books I review get 5 stars. This is one of them. Programming on Purpose is a collection of essays originally written for Computer Language magazine. Although the original publication of this collection was in 1993, the materials in the book date back considerably further. Are Plauger's observations and nuggets of advice still relevant? Absolutely. When you read modern classics like Design Patterns (Gamma, et. al.) you might mistakenly think that such works are revolutionary instead of evolutionary. Going back and reviewing books like this should correct any such misconception. Here's an example: In his discussion "order out of chaos", Plauger writes "When you encounter a situation where data is presented in chaotic order, but must be processed in some definable order, you have a sorting problem. Forget about data structures or structured programming for the time being. Instead, cast the problem in a form that can be handled by known sorting technology, then apply it." In short, Plauger urges you to "see the patterns" in the problem. If books that purport to teach design patterns were so pragmatic and clear they might be more successful! Plauger has many such clear, lucid thoughts, elegantly expressed. Here's another: "My major concern here is the Principle of One Right Place--there should be One Right Place to look for any nontrivial piece of code, and One Right Place to make a likely maintenance change." Of course. Good OO design, indeed any good system design, should support this notion. Yet, how many systems and their designers do not? UML design tools and other wizard-like code generators may produce the superstructure of our programs (under our design and direction, of course), but what goes between those curly braces often, if not always, dictates the final quality of our work. Plauger provides powerful insight into our craft that shouldn't be missed by anyone who codes for quality. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Why is software design so hard? *by F***O on Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2006* Maybe because, unlike Plauger, most authors tend to advocate for their particular methodologies and do not really teach how to make the best use of the available design techniques. (Well, maybe it is just that way and it will never become easier. That's part of its charm.)There are no silver bullets (that is, no "one-size-fits-all" method) and "we often cannot articulate why we do what we do when we do it." Plauger tries to address this problem not by proposing yet another silver bullet, but discussing useful design principles.Despite some dated examples, Plauger's observations and advice are still relevant. You will find interesting essays on stepwise refinement, the use of grammars to parse input data, and structured design techniques.If you think these are not "hot topics" today, pick this book just to enjoy yourself reading about "software design heresies" (apparently counterintuitive ideas), the authors' curious approach to teaching, or his peculiar comments trying to demystify [and even debunk the hype behind] object-oriented programming (written at a time when object-orientation was something completely new for the standard software developer.)I'm sure you will not regret the time you spend reading this book. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.nz/products/25281264-programming-on-purpose-essays-on-software-design](https://www.desertcart.nz/products/25281264-programming-on-purpose-essays-on-software-design) --- *Product available on Desertcart New Zealand* *Store origin: NZ* *Last updated: 2026-05-17*