This book is the result of the combined efforts of a team of people whose work we trust and admire and whose friendship we value highly. Kari Fera, our talented typographer, did the work of two people and did it superbly. She not only refined and produced the interior graphics but also laid out the complex design, wrestling heroically with problems ranging from limited space to logical arrangement of numbered steps. She does beautiful work. Our dear friend Alice Copp Smith has helped us improve every book we’ve written. Alice does so much more than proofread and copyedit: Her gentle and witty chiding on countless yellow sticky notes makes us groan but always teaches us to write better. And we are fortunate indeed to be able to work with indexer extraordinaire Jan Wright, whose index reveals in microcosm the soul of the book. We thank this dedicated and hardworking trio for their exceptional work and their unwavering good humor. That such a small group of people, working from "virtual" offices, can consistently produce award-winning books is an example of the real meaning of the word "teamwork."

At Microsoft Press we thank Alex Blanton for asking us to write this book, and we thank Laura Sackerman for her valuable insight and helpful suggestions. Thanks also to Jim Kramer and Gregory Beckelhymer, who provided assistance along the way.

On the home front, as always, Roberta Moon-Krause, Rick Krause, and Zuzu Abeni Krause provided love, laughter, and inspiration. We also thank the Krause puppies, Baiser and Pierre, for being gracious enough to allow us to publish their private playlist and to chat with us over the Internet.