ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First and foremost, I would like to thank my wife for her patience and support, for taking some of my workload especially in the areas of UML and Java programming and for her inspirational contributions at the time of frustrating moments. I would like to thank my parents, my sister, my brother and my dear friends whose support and encouragement throughout my life have made it possible for me to build the skill set necessary to succeed.

I would like to thank Venu Kuchana and D.R. Sudhakar for their contributions in terms of writing different Java programs. I would like to thank BalaLingam Kuchana for his contributions in the area of UML and for being in charge of creating the formatted version of my draft.

I would like to thank the entire team at Auerbach publications for their contributions in this project and for making this a remarkable experience. In particular, I have a deep sense of gratitude towards my acquisitions editor, John Wyzalek, for sharing my enthusiasm and providing me with great advice and help. I also would like to thank the managing editor, Claire Miller, for her invaluable advice and contribution in arranging the book in a presentable form.

My sincere thanks to Linda Rising for writing the Foreword.

I am truly appreciative and thankful to the following reviewers who have taken the time to read the draft and provide me with feedback.

• Pradyumn Sharma, CEO, Pragati Software Pvt. Ltd.
• Carsten Kuckuk, project lead, Design Patterns Study Group Stuttgart, RIB Software AG
• Tim Kemper, Boulder Design Patterns Group
• Geoffrey Sparks, CEO, Sparx Systems P/L
• Edward L. Howe, software architect, Employease, Inc.
• Christopher R. Gardner, software developer, McKesson Information Solutions
• David Deriso, senior software engineer, Employease, Inc.
• Mike Heinrich, software engineer, Canada
• Rodney Waldoff, director of systems architecture, Encyclopedia Brittanica Inc.
• Thomas SMETS, software engineer, Belgium
• Linda Rising, Ph.D., independent software consultant, Arizona State University
• Ray Tayek, coordinator LAJUG/OCJUG

In particular, thanks to Pradyumn Sharma, Carsten Kuckuk, and Tim Kemper for their insightful recommendations, their thoroughness, and their invaluable suggestions, including questions that an inquisitive reader might have about design patterns.

I would like to thank Mark Grand for his encouragement and advice on various aspects of writing a patterns book. I am sure I have forgotten someone important; please accept my sincere apologies.