>>
>>My suggestion - tackle UML first. I've got about 3 hours into an article on learning design patterns from a beginner to intermediate standpoint, I hope to have it on the wiki to compliment my VFPDesignPatternCatalog topic by the end of the month.
>>
>>And I'm in the same boat with you on #3 above =D)
>
>Just wondering why you suggest doing it in that order?

From my own experience. I tackled Design Patterns first, got an inkling of a clue, then went on to UML. When you learn UML you begin to appreciate the true mechanics of OOP. It's easy to see the bigger picture I think. You see where the OOP heavy's went with UML and you can appreciate the complexity that VFP's IDE makes easy for us. A good understanding of UML gives you a good understand of Advanced OOP concepts in general, and Design Patterns are the best practices of the OOP world... so why not build the advanced understanding first before tackling the mechanics?

Plus too, once I grew to be UML literate, I re-read the Design Pattern books on my shelf and absorbed 10 times more than I did the first time through.