Sebastopol, CA–Since the advent of computers,
do-it-yourself documentation has been a foundation of grassroots
technology development. FreeBSD, Linux, Perl, Apache, MySQL, and
other core Internet technologies have flourished with the help of
documentation created by dedicated members of their technical
communities. The O’Reilly Community Press, a new series from
technical publisher O’Reilly & Associates, publishes essential
community-generated documentation. Thanks to that classic user
interface, the book, hackers can now access the wisdom of their
community on the bus, at the beach, or in the bathroom.
“We learned long ago that good, accessible documentation spurs
the development of interesting technologies,” said Tim O’Reilly,
founder and president of O’Reilly & Associates. “And our
customers tell us that they want to wrap their hands around a hard
copy of the documentation they use, even if it’s also available
online. Through the O’Reilly Community Press, we’ll publish the
best of the documentation that emerges from the technical
communities we serve.”
Unlike classic O’Reilly animal books, which are created to fill
an information void, the Community Press titles simply provide
convenient printed copies of documentation that is already
available online. Although the books must meet O’Reilly’s standards
for containing clear, useful information, our role is limited to
providing manufacturing and distribution services rather than
editorial development. Each book reflects the editorial voice and
organization of the community that has created it.
As a result, the covers of O’Reilly Community Press titles are
distinct from O’Reilly’s classic animal books. “The series look is
a direct descendent of early O’Reilly Nutshell handbook covers,
which featured simple, classic line drawings printed with black ink
on nubbly brown paper,” said Edie Freedman, O’Reilly’s creative
director and original cover designer. “The oak tree on the cover of
the books in the series represents the organic way the O’Reilly
Community Press titles develop. The covers also evoke the books’
importance to their communities, for oak trees grace the ‘town
common’ in most New England towns, anchoring the town’s gathering
place.”
The first O’Reilly Community Press title, available in April
2002, is the “MySQL Reference Manual.” Other books in the pipeline
include a new edition of Greg Lehey’s “The Complete FreeBSD” and
“DocBook, 2nd Edition” by Norm Walsh and Lenny Muellner.
About O’Reilly
O’Reilly & Associates is the premier information source for
leading-edge computer technologies. We communicate the knowledge of
experts through our books, conferences, and web sites. Our books,
known for their animals on the covers, occupy a treasured place on
the shelves of the developers building the next generation of
software. Our conferences and summits bring innovators together to
shape the revolutionary ideas that spark new industries. From the
Internet to the Web, Linux, open source, and now peer-to-peer
networking, we put technologies on the map. For more information:
www.oreilly.com
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