Software patterns constitute a highly effective means of improving the quality of software engineering, system design and development, and communication among the people building them. Patterns capture the best practices of software design, making them available to all software engineers.

This new LNCS Transactions subline aims to publish papers on patterns and pattern languages as applied to software design, development, and use, throughout all phases of the software life cycle, from requirements and design to implementation, maintenance and evolution. The primary focus of the LNCS Transactions on Pattern Languages of Programming is on patterns, pattern collections, and pattern languages themselves. The journal also includes reviews, survey articles, criticisms of patterns and pattern languages, as well as other research on patterns and pattern languages.

In addition to presenting and discussing patterns, this LNCS journal aims to present material that is validated -- crucial to the application and advancement of both industry and research. In this spirit, the LNCS Transactions on Pattern Languages of Programming focuses on publications that present patterns, research results and industrial studies that are verifiable. Every paper has been reviewed by both patterns experts and domain experts, including researchers and practitioners.

James Noble, Victoria University of Wellington, NZRalph Johnson, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA

Uwe Zdun, University of Vienna, Austria

Eugene Wallingford, University of Northern Iowa, USA

LNCS Transactions on Pattern Languages of Programming publishes:

• Patterns and pattern languages
• Reviews and critiques of patterns and pattern languages
• Research on patterns and pattern languages
• Case studies of the use of patterns and pattern languages
• Empirical assessment and evaluation of patterns and pattern languages
• Tool support for patterns and pattern languages

Authors are encouraged to submit papers on the following topics, though papers on other patterns topics are also welcome:

• Patterns in software development generally, including software design, software engineering, and software architecture
• Process patterns for management and development processes
• Patterns for human-computer interaction (user-interface patterns, or novel modes of interaction)
• Patterns for education (ranging from professional training to classroom teaching)
• Patterns for business and organizations
• Modeling patterns, analysis patterns, design patterns
• Patterns for object-oriented design, aspect-oriented design, and software design generally
• Patterns to describe libraries, frameworks, and other reusable software elements
• Patterns for middleware, including distribution, optimization, security, and performance improvement
• Domain specific patterns and technology specific patterns, as well as generic patterns
• Patterns for refactoring and reengineering
• Formal models and type systems for patterns
• Programming environments, software repositories, and programming languages for patterns
• The use of patterns to improve quality attributes such as adaptability, evolvability, reusability and cost-effectiveness

We expect papers submitted for consideration to have been workshopped and reviewed at at least one Hillside Group PLoP conference. When you submit your paper, please indicate the most recent conference, year, writers' workshop, and the name of the workshop chair of the event at which your paper was workshopped.All queries should be addressed to tplop@mcs.vuw.ac.nz. Manuscripts should follow LNCS formatting guidelines, and should be submitted as PDF files to tplop@mcs.vuw.ac.nz.