AS WITH MANY BOOKS, this one would not have been possible without many people helping me
along the way. In particular, I want to thank Michael Rasmussen, my “secret reviewer” who, despite
not being one of the official reviewers, nonetheless diligently reviewed every chapter and came back
with many helpful comments that made this a far better book.
I also have to thank chromatic, my technical reviewer, who managed to annoy me time and time
again by pointing out subtle issues that I should have caught but didn’t. He’s a better programmer
than I am, damn it.
Mary James and Maureen Spears, my primary contacts at Wiley, Wrox imprint, were a joy to work
with and really helped keep my spirits up when this book seemed to drag on far longer than
I thought. Their senses of humor and help through the editorial process were invaluable. I also have
to thank San Dee, whoever the heck she is. Her name kept popping up through the editorial process
and her work catching many issues in this book is much appreciated