The folks at O’Reilly never cease to amaze us with the support that they provide. We’d like to thank John Osborn for extending us the contract to write this book and for his continuous support throughout the project. We’d also like to thank Nancy Kotary for the hard work that she went through to get the book out under a rigorous schedule. Nancy did a great job reviewing our materials and coordinating the project. Without John and Nancy, this book would not have been possible. Thanks to the production and design folks at O’Reilly for making this book a reality: Claire Cloutier, Emma Colby, Erica Corwell, Tatiana Diaz, David Futato, Robert Romano, Anne-Marie Vaduva, Ellie Volckhausen, Joe Wizda, and especially Jeff Holcomb.

Thanks to our technical reviewers: Brian Jepson, Juval Lowy, Peter Drayton, and Bruce Krell. These guys did a great job reviewing the manuscript in record time. Juval read the chapters very keenly and gave numerous suggestions. Brian did an unquestionably outstanding job reading, testing, and ensuring that the technical content in every chapter lines up with Beta 2.

We’d like to thank Tim Kroll for reviewing the bulk of this book before technical review. Tim deserves high praise for his quick turnaround. Other people who made partial edits include Richard Bankhead, Kevin Thai, Hua Thai, Huy Thai, and Nathan Beach. We’d also like to thank Dennis Angeline and Brad Merrill at Microsoft for answering technical questions on the CLR and languages.

Thuan would like to thank Bob Pfeiff and Ed Bell for their initial support that ignited this book project. Without their support, Thuan would probably not have begun this project. Thuan also thanks his parents for their never-ending support in everything he does, including another book project, and Thuan thanks his siblings and friends for their support and friendship. And thanks to Hoang for another job well done!

Hoang would like to thank his parents and family for their support and understanding of his being missing-in-action for several months. Mom and Dad, your ongoing efforts to put your children where they are today can never be repaid. Hoang would like to thank his wife, VanDu, the source of his inspiration. Don’t underestimate your contribution to this book. And last, but not least, a personal thank you to Thuan, who has always pushed me toward the bleeding edge.