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Does anyone know how the Design Patterns authors became known as the "Gang of Four"? I'm guessing it originated from an unflattering comparison, although my kn
by richmarr 10y ago
Does anyone know how the Design Patterns authors became known as the "Gang of Four"?
I'm guessing it originated from an unflattering comparison, although my knowledge of the Cultural Revolution is pretty weak, maybe it was a compliment.
- vram22 10y agoNot sure, but 4 co-authors is a likely partial reason. Also I guess partly due to imitating various precedents, and not just in tech. E.g. The Three (Musketeers, ...), The (..., ...) Duo, The Famous Five (kids novel series), etc. A separate HN thread on that might be a fun read :) A similar one is eponymous Laws (Wikipedia has a list).
- philk10 10y agoSee here - http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?GangOfFour http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?GangOfFour
- richmarr 10y agoYeah, I don't feel any enlightenment kicking in. I'm aware that the Gang of Four name originated with a cabal of power at the centre of Maoist China, but I'm curious who drew the connection and why.
- vram22 10y agoWell, going by further events related to the use of design patterns (as discussed in the article and, e.g. userbinator's comment (which was at the top of this thread), maybe the connection is "comply, or you will be assimilated" ...