Thanks...

First, I'd like to thank my editor at O'Reilly, Michael Loukides, without whom this book would not exist. His encouragement and direction (along with his seemingly infinite patience) allowed me to finish this book while sustaining only minor injuries.

There were many people who took the time to review this text and suggest valuable changes. These people, in no particular order, include Mike Lonergan, Ken Hornstein, Frank Balluffi, Robbie Allen, Mohammad Haque, and Marcus Miller. Their constructive criticism of my early drafts helped to make this book as complete and technically accurate as possible.

I'd also like to thank the friends and co-workers who have provided support and entertainment during this process. Brian Dykstra, Brad Johnson, Mark Yu, Nan Ting, Keith Jones, and many others helped me finish this project through their encouragement over this past year.

And last but not least, I'd like to thank my parents, Arthur and Mary Garman, who encouraged me to explore my interest in computers and provided me with the Commodore 64 that sparked my imagination.