Acknowledgments

This is my second book for O'Reilly & Associates, and I am proud to have been asked back. My sincere thanks go to my editor, Ron Petrusha, an accomplished author and Visual Basic programmer who has again contributed so much to this book, steering me in the right direction, crossing the Ts and dotting the Is, helping to nurture and develop this work, and adding that special quality that sets O'Reilly books apart from the rest.

My thanks also go to Tim O'Reilly for again having the faith to let me loose on his printing press! I would also like to thank the rest of the team at O'Reilly & Associates—Troy Mott, Katie Gardner, and all the other people within O'Reilly without whom this book would not have been possible. Thanks to Cheryl Smith-John for her hard work as technical editor, as well as to Dr. Steven Roman and Chris Burge for their technical reviews, which have (I hope) helped to make this a better book.

During the course of writing this book, I've been developing a client server application for Allied Carpets Group plc in the United Kingdom. I'd like to thank the VB development team there for their help and support—namely (but in no particular order) Gary Atkinson, Rachel Adams, James Cullen, and Ian Fremaux. My thanks also go to my agent, Nicky Properjohn at HG Resources.

Writing takes not just the dedication of the author, but a huge amount of support and understanding from the family. I count myself lucky to have such a devoted family—as always my strength and motivation Deb, Russel, and Victoria.