Ajax Design Patterns is Book of the Month in this month’s .Net mag (p.23, Issue 155, October, 2006). Incidentally, the mag is about the ‘Net, not specifically MS .Net (which it pre-dates).

The review says:

So AJAX might be the hottest thing in programming since, er, ordinary Javascript, but it's no good just learning how to implement it - you need design inspiration too. Ajax Design Patterns fits the literary void that exists in AJAX design by using real examples of best practice to enhance your apps.</blockquote>

 

I'm glad they emphasise use of real examples, because we can debate ad infinitum about whether everything in the book is a pattern or not, but the more important thing is that the examples are real, concrete, and as accessible as typing a URL into your browser.

Thankfully, Ajax Design Patterns is one of the most organised books on any programming subject. It's a massive book, but you won't get lost as the chapters are sensibly divided up and the sound layout means there's nothing whatsoever to fear.

I've had a lot to say about presentation of patterns in the past The fairly unusual presentation of the patterns is the reason it's not an O'Reilly animal book, and it's good to see it helped.