The Culture of Patterns

Abstract. The pattern ,community ,came ,about ,from ,a consciously crafted culture, a culture that has persisted, grown, and arguably thrived,for a decade. ,The culture ,was ,built on a ,small ,number ,of explicit principles. The culture ,became ,embodied ,in its ,activities— conferences,called ,PLoPs that ,centered ,on a ,social ,activity ,for reviewing,technical ,works—and ,in a body ,of literature ,that ,has wielded,broad ,influence ,on software design. ,Embedded ,within ,the larger culture of software development, the pattern culture has enjoyed,broad ,influence ,on software ,development ,worldwide. ,The culture,hasn’t been ,without ,its problems: ,conflict ,with ,academic culture, accusations of cultism, and compromises with other cultures. However, its culturally rich principlesstill live on bothin the original organs,of the,pattern,community,and,in the,activities of many,other software,communities,worldwide.