Sometimes you know something is important, but can't articulate why. In architecture pattern languages are used as one way to address this issue. Pattern languages have also crossed over into application development and are discussed frequently in other kinds of knowledge acquisition and understanding.

Denham Gray talks about experience and patterns in the context of knowledge:

Each pattern defines a context of use, a recurrent problem that needs to solved, a group of "forces" pushing and pulling in different directions, and how those forces might be resolved to best solve the problem - a working solution based on validated experience. Both good and bad (anti-patterns) examples are also provided.

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Remember that a pattern language does not only serve as a guideline for building or designing something, but as a system for talking about, deconstructing and classifying things. Posted by dcoates at September 26, 2003 12:58 PM