"You know what, this is a really tough book to write." That is the warning I got from one of the acquisitions editors at Apress when we first spoke on the phone. With his trust and faith in me to pull this book off, I started this writing journey in the summer of 2010.

My gratitude goes out to Corbin Collins, coordinating editor, for helping the whole team stay focused. Thanks to Douglas Pundick, development editor, for all his suggestions during the editorial review process to help make this a great book. Thanks to Michelle Lowman, acquisitions editor, for her support and patience. Thanks to James Bucanek, technical reviewer, for his critical comments until the last minute before the book went to press. Thanks to Mary Ann Fugate and Mary Behr, the copy editors, for their impeccable copy editing efforts to make this book look wonderful. Thanks to all of the wonderful people at Apress—this book would not be possible without all their help in making it all happen.

I want to acknowledge and give my many thanks to Michael Fredrickson and Sreenivasa Busam, who helped review my chapters from the perspective of their domain of knowledge. Last but not least, I want to thank Mike Hambleton for his expertise in technical writing, precision, and patience in helping to review my chapters