Something I never really thought about as a reader, but that becomes very clear as an author, is that while writing a book, life often gets in the way. Fortunately, books are not produced by just one person. It takes a lot of hard work by a lot of talented people to see a project like this completed. And I have many people to thank for helping to get this book into your hands. First I would like to thank Juliana Aldous, acquisitions editor, for catching the vision for this book and helping to make it happen. Thanks to Thom Votteler, project editor extraordinaire, for managing the endless headaches, filling in wherever needed, and safeguarding the quality all along the way. Thanks to Lisa Theobald, manuscript editor, for all her work improving my writing while maintaining my voice. Special thanks to Linda Harmony, technical editor, whose scrutiny of and persistence with the code and technical aspects of this book have been invaluable. Thanks also to Kurt Meyer, Bill Teel, Paula Gorelick, Gina Cassill, Alton Lawson, Roger LeBlanc, Julie Miller, Valerie Woolley, and all the talented editorial and production people at Microsoft Press. They’re the best in the biz!
I would also like to thank the folks on the XML development team, especially John Murray, for their help and input. Special thanks also to my wife, Jodie, and our two boys, Cody and little Ryan. Writing this book has meant many late nights and long weekends, and I couldn’t have done it without their encouragement and support.