Portland Pattern Repository
Encyclopedia
The Portland Pattern Repository (PPR) is a repository for computer programming design pattern
s. It was accompanied by a companion website, WikiWikiWeb
, which was the world's first wiki
.
The repository has an emphasis on Extreme Programming
. It is hosted by Cunningham & Cunningham (C2) of Portland, Oregon
at http://c2.com/ppr/. The PPR's motto
is "People, Projects & Patterns."
On 17 September 1987 programmer Howard G. (Ward) Cunningham
, then with Tektronix
, and Apple Computer
's Kent Beck
co-published the paper Using Pattern Languages for Object-Oriented Programs. This paper about programming patterns was inspired by Christopher Alexander
's architectural concept of "patterns". It was written for the 1987 OOPSLA
programming conference organized by the Association for Computing Machinery
. Cunningham's and Beck's idea became popular among programmers because it helped them exchange programming ideas in a format that is easy to understand.
Cunningham & Cunningham, the programming consultancy which would eventually host the PPR on its Internet domain, was incorporated in Salem, Oregon
on 1 November 1991 and is named after Ward and his wife Karen R. Cunningham, a mathematician, school teacher and school director. Cunningham & Cunningham registered their Internet domain c2.com on 23 October 1994.
Ward created the Portland Pattern Repository on c2.com as a means to help object-oriented programmers
publish their computer programming patterns by submitting them to him. Some of those programmers attended the OOPSLA and PLoP conferences about object-oriented programming, posting their ideas on the PPR and exchanging e-mail messages with Ward.
The PPR is accompanied on c2.com by the first ever wiki
(a collection of reader-modifiable Web pages), which is called WikiWikiWeb
. It is located at http://c2.com/cgi/wiki.
Design pattern (computer science)
In software engineering, a design pattern is a general reusable solution to a commonly occurring problem within a given context in software design. A design pattern is not a finished design that can be transformed directly into code. It is a description or template for how to solve a problem that...
s. It was accompanied by a companion website, WikiWikiWeb
WikiWikiWeb
WikiWikiWeb is a term that has been used to refer to four things: the first wiki, or user-editable website, launched on 25 March 1995 by Ward Cunningham as part of the Portland Pattern Repository ; the Perl-based application that was used to run it, also developed by Cunningham, which was the first...
, which was the world's first wiki
Wiki
A wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used collaboratively by multiple users. Examples include...
.
The repository has an emphasis on Extreme Programming
Extreme Programming
Extreme programming is a software development methodology which is intended to improve software quality and responsiveness to changing customer requirements...
. It is hosted by Cunningham & Cunningham (C2) of Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
at http://c2.com/ppr/. The PPR's motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
is "People, Projects & Patterns."
On 17 September 1987 programmer Howard G. (Ward) Cunningham
Ward Cunningham
Howard G. "Ward" Cunningham is an American computer programmer who developed the first wiki. A pioneer in both design patterns and Extreme Programming, he started programming the software WikiWikiWeb in 1994 and installed it on the website of his software consultancy, Cunningham & Cunningham , on...
, then with Tektronix
Tektronix
Tektronix, Inc. is an American company best known for its test and measurement equipment such as oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and video and mobile test protocol equipment. In November 2007, Tektronix became a subsidiary of Danaher Corporation....
, and Apple Computer
Apple Computer
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
's Kent Beck
Kent Beck
Kent Beck is an American software engineer and the creator of the Extreme Programming and Test Driven Development software development methodologies. Beck was one of the 17 original signatories of the Agile Manifesto in 2001....
co-published the paper Using Pattern Languages for Object-Oriented Programs. This paper about programming patterns was inspired by Christopher Alexander
Christopher Alexander
Christopher Wolfgang Alexander is a registered architect noted for his theories about design, and for more than 200 building projects in California, Japan, Mexico and around the world...
's architectural concept of "patterns". It was written for the 1987 OOPSLA
OOPSLA
OOPSLA is an annual ACM research conference. OOPSLA mainly takes place in the United States, while the sister conference of OOPSLA, ECOOP, is typically held in Europe...
programming conference organized by the Association for Computing Machinery
Association for Computing Machinery
The Association for Computing Machinery is a learned society for computing. It was founded in 1947 as the world's first scientific and educational computing society. Its membership is more than 92,000 as of 2009...
. Cunningham's and Beck's idea became popular among programmers because it helped them exchange programming ideas in a format that is easy to understand.
Cunningham & Cunningham, the programming consultancy which would eventually host the PPR on its Internet domain, was incorporated in Salem, Oregon
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
on 1 November 1991 and is named after Ward and his wife Karen R. Cunningham, a mathematician, school teacher and school director. Cunningham & Cunningham registered their Internet domain c2.com on 23 October 1994.
Ward created the Portland Pattern Repository on c2.com as a means to help object-oriented programmers
Object-oriented programming
Object-oriented programming is a programming paradigm using "objects" – data structures consisting of data fields and methods together with their interactions – to design applications and computer programs. Programming techniques may include features such as data abstraction,...
publish their computer programming patterns by submitting them to him. Some of those programmers attended the OOPSLA and PLoP conferences about object-oriented programming, posting their ideas on the PPR and exchanging e-mail messages with Ward.
The PPR is accompanied on c2.com by the first ever wiki
Wiki
A wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used collaboratively by multiple users. Examples include...
(a collection of reader-modifiable Web pages), which is called WikiWikiWeb
WikiWikiWeb
WikiWikiWeb is a term that has been used to refer to four things: the first wiki, or user-editable website, launched on 25 March 1995 by Ward Cunningham as part of the Portland Pattern Repository ; the Perl-based application that was used to run it, also developed by Cunningham, which was the first...
. It is located at http://c2.com/cgi/wiki.
See also
- WikiWikiWebWikiWikiWebWikiWikiWeb is a term that has been used to refer to four things: the first wiki, or user-editable website, launched on 25 March 1995 by Ward Cunningham as part of the Portland Pattern Repository ; the Perl-based application that was used to run it, also developed by Cunningham, which was the first...
- History of wikisHistory of wikisThe history of wikis dates from 1994, when Ward Cunningham invented the concept and gave it its name . c2.com thus became the first wiki, or a website with pages that can be edited via the browser, with a version history for each page...
- Design patternDesign patternA design pattern in architecture and computer science is a formal way of documenting a solution to a design problem in a particular field of expertise. The idea was introduced by the architect Christopher Alexander in the field of architecture and has been adapted for various other disciplines,...
- Design pattern (computer science)Design pattern (computer science)In software engineering, a design pattern is a general reusable solution to a commonly occurring problem within a given context in software design. A design pattern is not a finished design that can be transformed directly into code. It is a description or template for how to solve a problem that...