Acknowledgments

As always, this book is a product of the efforts of a small army of people. First, I want to thank my executive editor, Steve Weiss, who kept the big wheels rolling and bought me more time when life got in the way of deadlines. A standing ovation goes to Linda Laflamme, the developmental editor, who kept numerous plates spinning and went above and beyond the call of duty repeatedly without complaint. She was my ally and hero, and I could not have managed this book without her.

Next, I am thrilled to have had two of the most prominent experts and advocates in standards-based web design as technical editors of this edition. I owe heaps of gratitude to Molly Holzschlag, who is the one responsible for turning this ship around. She gave me a firm kick in the pants in the first round of reviews, but it was exactly what the book (and I) needed to get up to speed with contemporary thinking and terminology. I am also enormously grateful to Tantek Çelik for not only the "fine-toothed-comb" treatment he gave the chapters, but also for the positive support and the feeling that I could always rely on him for help. In my most defeated moments, that kept me going.

It's tough writing a book about everything, and I know when I'm out of my league. I consider myself very fortunate to have chapters contributed by some of the top experts in their respective fields. Thanks go to Derek Featherstone for bringing real-world experience and advice to his "Accessibility" chapter and to Todd Marks, a leading author on Flash and Dreamweaver for his solid chapter, "The Flash Platform" (Chapter 35). Last, but by no means least, I want to say a special and heartfelt thanks to Aaron Gustafson who gallantly and competently saved the day more than once. His three consecutive chapters (Chapter 25, Managing Browser Bugs: Workarounds, Hacks, and Filters," Chapter 26, Introduction to JavaScript," and Chapter 27, DOM Scripting") are like an information-packed drum solo in the middle of the book. He also contributed by reviewing chapters and always being available to answer the "CSS question of the day."

Thanks also go to the other really smart people who applied their areas of expertise in reviewing miscellaneous chapters: Bill Sanders, for taking on Flash and all of Part II, Jeremy Keith for his careful review of the JavaScript and DOM chapters, Jason Carlin for reviewing CSS chapters and being my go-to guy for CSS information (as well as what music I should be listening to), and Matthew Klauschie, who knows more than a thing or two about video on the Web.

I want to acknowledge the fine help I received with the figures for this book. Travis Young created the streamlined CSS examples and screenshots for Chapters 18 through 23. A round of applause goes to illustrator Chris Reilley, who took my raw materials and spun them into gold. I've worked with Chris on all my books and am always impressed by his top-notch work.

Producing a book of this size is no small feat, and to do so in record time faced with rounds of later-than-last-minute changes is worthy of applause. Thanks go to my attentive copyeditor, Linley Dolby, and the rest of the production team for bearing with me and making the book look great.

I want to say thanks to Alan, Courtney, Dan, Danielle, Jessica, Jillian, Kate, Megan, Melanie, and the whole gang at Starbucks in Seekonk, MA for pouring the gallons of iced chai that fueled the writing of this edition and doing so in a way that made me feel at home. Thanks also to Jamie, Diane, Joanna, and the other women at Rumford Day Nursery for taking good care of my little boy so his mama could work overtime without worrying. And thank you Seekonk Public Library for getting wireless Internet.

As always, I'd like to thank my Mom, Dad, Liam, and Audrey for the boundless support and inspiration they each provide. Endless thanks and at least a few foot-rubs go to my husband, Jeff Robbins, who put up with a lot this year. I am fortunate to have a husband who will go into "Super-dad" mode to free up my evenings and weekends for writing. Jeff also updated Chapter 33, Audio on the Web. Finally, I thank my darling Arlo for the joy he brings me every single day and for reminding me of what is important.

December 2005, Massachusetts

Jennifer Niederst Robbins