In Patterns of Software, the respected software pioneer and computer scientist, Richard P. Gabriel, gives us an informative inside look at the world of software design and computer programming and the businesses that surround them.

In this wide-ranging volume, Gabriel discusses such topics as what makes a successful programming language, how the rest of the world looks at and responds to the work of computer scientists, how he first became involved in computer programming and software development, what makes a successful software business, and why his own company, Lucid, failed in 1994, ten years after its inception.

Perhaps the most interesting and enlightening section of the book is Gabriel's detailed look at what he believes are the lessons that can be learned from architect Christopher Alexander, whose books - including the seminal A Pattern Language - have had a profound influence on the computer programming community.