> I don't think it has much to do with XML, but "design patterns"
> are a genuine advancement in the field of software engineering,
> applicable only with support from object-oriented languages,

Come on.  ``Genuine advancement in the field of software engineering''
is a bit strong.  As Gamma et al themselves point out in the
introduction, nothing in the book is new.  The only advancement they
made was to package them up in one place and give names everyone could
use as the basis for a common vocabulary.

> in the case of C++ using templates to implement the patterns.

Funny, most of the design patterns in Gamma et al don't use templates.
Only four or five out of 23 do.  Most just use simple inheritence
hierarchies.

        - Dan C.