Small Memory Software: Patterns for Limited Memory Systems

This book is an excellent working companion for any software developer. A very readable addition to the growing volume of literature on Software Patterns.
While it focuses tightly on situations where memory is a major constraint, the authors' vision extends much further. A read through the discussion of the wide range of Forces addressed by the Patterns the book describes is very illuminating. Speed, reliability, usability, programmer effort and discipline - even security are all there.

I've never worked on software for mobile phones, embedded devices, PDAs . . . but, with hindsight, I can readily recognise all the Patterns described - and have even used quite a few! More important, I now have a better understanding of the consequences of using Pooled rather than Variable Allocation, the benefits (and drawbacks) of using Embedded Pointers, the ways in which Secondary Storage can assist . . .

The range of practical examples of Known Uses testifies to the authors' breadth of experience - and the relevance of the Patterns described to almost every software environment. From the Sinclair ZX-81 (and earlier) to the latest mobile technologies - with DOS, UNIX, VMS, Windows and many others in-between - and all the applications they support.