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Acknowledgments
Writing a computer programming book is fascinating because the whole process begins well
before the software is actually finished. Authors meet with software developers and computer
book publishers, explore product specifications and early releases of the software, review
the comments and suggestions that readers of previous editions have offered, develop
a writing plan and schedule, and begin testing their ideas with beta versions of the product.
This iterative process produces important insights and continues (with mounting fervor) until
the software is complete and the final books are shipped to the printer.Microsoft Press is a fantastic place to write a computer programming book. At each stage in
the publishing process, talented team members work together to cultivate valuable technical
contacts and resources, build visionary product deployment strategies, explore the hidden
benefits of emerging technologies, and pick the right words and images to describe them.
Microsoft Visual Basic 2010 Step by Step, now in its eighth edition, has benefited significantly
from this dynamic and innovative publishing environment over the years.I gratefully acknowledge the support and assistance of the following people who helped
to plan, edit, test, produce, and market our book this time (in the order that I worked with
them): Ben Ryan, Devon Musgrave, Valerie Woolley, Susan McClung, and Christian Holdener.
In particular, Valerie Woolley enthusiastically kept my writing on schedule and insured that
our book would fit well in the Step by Step series that Microsoft Press is so well known for. I
am also very grateful to the Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 development team for providing me
with beta and release candidate software to work with.As always, I offer my deepest gratitude and affection to my family for their continued
support of my writing projects and various academic pursuits.