Acknowledgments

This is the third In a Nutshell book covering a version of Microsoft Windows. Although this book has evolved substantially from its progenitors, Windows 95 in a Nutshell and Windows 98 in a Nutshell (as Windows itself has evolved), its existence is due to the hard work of those who worked on those earlier volumes .

Tim O'Reilly developed the original concept for the book; he and Troy Mott were the principal authors of the first edition. Andrew Schulman was also instrumental in helping get the first edition of this book off the ground, and it was he who insisted on the importance of the command line. Walter Glenn was a major contributor to the second edition. Thanks to John Fronckowiak, Stein Borge, and Ron Petrusha for their efforts, which formed the basis of the Windows Script Host chapter. This XP edition was developed by David Karp and incorporates some material from his bestselling Windows Annoyances series. Tim O'Reilly was the editor of this XP edition. He had help from Bob Herbtsman and Maeve O'Meara, who managed the day to day details of the project, and in Maeve's case, entered hundreds of last-minute edits. Richard Cobbett provided material on Service Pack 2 for the revised edition of this book, which was edited by Robert Luhn.

We are also indebted to the generosity of hundreds of Windows users who've shared tips, insights, and detailed documentation on particular aspects of the system they've uncovered, either through their own web sites, posts to the Annoyances.org discussion forums, or emails at 2:30 in the morning. We refer to some of these sites in the book, but many others have contributed to our understanding of Windows, taught us useful tips, or corrected our assumptions.

David adds: This book was a big job, much more so than I anticipated. But it was an important book for me to write, giving me a new perspective and appreciation for the attention and focus required to document such a complex and confusing product as Windows XP. I'd like to thank my friends and family, not only for keeping me grounded with their incessant computer questions as they were discovering Windows XP in their own highly individual and bizarre ways, but also for distracting me when I needed it most with movies, food, cards, fresh air, Wei Qi, skiing, and of course, The Simpsons . D'oh!