An Unusual Approach to Production
The normal technical book production process, the process that is supposed to produce "the" book on "some subject," leaves much to be desired. An author is selected and writes. A technical reviewer is paid a pittance and may or may not actually find errors or step through the instructions to confirm the author's work. Editors, while they may know their grammar and how to improve writing style, are not technically trained. Finally, the process is at times rushed, and compromises have to be made. This book was done differently. In addition to the normal editorial support, numerous technical volunteers examined each chapter for content, correctness, and usability. These volunteers gave their time freely, many of them doggedly reading the entire manuscript and others concentrating on topics they felt the most comfortable with or the most interested in learning about. Every one of them contributed substantially, providing me with insight that an author usually gets only after the book is published. This book is incredibly better because of them. That said, the organization of the material is mine, and any errors although unintentional, are mine as well. |