A Milestone Reached

Mike Clark’s been hunkered down for a number of months now writing the third volume of the Starter Kit, Pragmatic Project Automation. On Monday this week he finished the draft, and it went out to 20 or so lucky folks for a first review. The feedback so far has been marvelous: people really like both the content and the style (after all, lava lamps are this year’s essential project accessory).

I’m really pleased about all this for a number of reasons. First, I’m pleased for us. This really is a great book—practical, timely, and fun to read. We couldn’t have asked for a better way to round out the starter kit. I’m also pleased because automation is near and dear to my heart, and with Mike’s book we finally have something to show people to say "this is what we mean." And, of course, I’m please for Mike. Writing a book is a lot of work, and it requires a bunch of dedication. In Mike’s case, that was tested even more, as he was the first person to use our new typesetting toolchain.

It’s looking like the book will be available sometime in July, and I for one can’t wait.