Garrett Goebel
Wed, 16 Oct 2002 08:58:56 -0700
Book Review presented by C. Garrett Goebel to the Kansas City Perl Mongers
Title: Object Oriented Perl
Authors: Damian Conway, Randal L. Schwartz
Publisher: Manning
Pages: 490
Year: 1999
ASIN: 1884777791
OOP is the definitive book on Object Oriented (OO) programming in Perl. It starts out with a very gentle 20 page primer on essential OO concepts, and follows on with a 50 page Perl refresher chapter. -The best hardboiled synopsis of essential Perl concepts which this reader has yet read.
The rest of the book is a well paced introduction to OO, illustrating and implementing the core concepts of OO in the context of Perl. While the earliest chapters serve as building blocks to those that follow, the later chapters need not be read front to back, but rather as the topic appeals to the reader.
Topics covered include: inheritance, polymorphism, ties, operator overloading, encapsulation, genericity, multiple dispatch, and persistent objects. Each topic is introduced along with code which highlights how each technique helps to solve common real world problems. As various tips, tricks, and pitfalls are covered, the reader will often find themselves revisiting and evolving improved solutions to familiar problems.
A lot of languages implement a particular flavor of OO. And indeed, OOP shows a variety of the techniques and flavors of OO and how they may be implemented in Perl. -Explaining when and where each may best be used, and trade-offs involved. As a result, the reader comes away from the book with a greater understanding of OO, and not just the particular style embraced by a single language.
Conway and Schwartz are well-known and respected throughout the Perl community. Their writing is clever, humorous, and while information dense... surprisingly easy to follow. There is a sense of grace and continuity to their writing which made this book a real pleasure to read.