[4879] in linux-announce channel archive
Linux-Announce Digest #172
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Digestifier)
Thu Jun 30 05:13:04 2005
From: Digestifier <Linux-Announce-Request@senator-bedfellow.mit.edu>
To: Linux-Announce@senator-bedfellow.mit.edu
Reply-To: Linux-Announce@senator-bedfellow.mit.edu
Date: Thu, 30 Jun 2005 05:13:01 EDT
Linux-Announce Digest #172, Volume #5 Thu, 30 Jun 2005 05:13:01 EDT
Contents:
No Starch Press Releases "Write Portable Code" ("Kerry Beck")
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 29 Jun 2005 07:20:58 CST
From: "Kerry Beck" <nostarchpr@oreilly.com>
Subject: No Starch Press Releases "Write Portable Code"
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media contact:
Patricia Witkin
patricia@nostarch.com
415.863.9900 x303
"WRITE PORTABLE CODE" HELPS PROGRAMMERS
DEVELOP CROSS-PLATFORM SOFTWARE
New book shows programmers how best to bring their code to
a wider audience
June 29, 2005, San Francisco--Portable software development entails
writing software that runs on a broad range of systems (a combination of
hardware and operating system like Windows/x86, Macintosh/PPC, Linux/x86),
rather than only one. Typically, programmers acquire cross-platform
development skills through sheer trial and error. But now, they
have a helpful resource--Write Portable Code: An Introduction to
Developing Software for Multiple Platforms (No Starch Press, July '05)
by Brian Hook.
The development of cross-platform software has been a long-standing
challenge for programmers because each system has its own requirements and
peculiarities, such as different ways of networking, managing files and
handling floating point math. And today's users expect the software they
use to run on their Mac at home and their Windows box in the office. But
if the software isn't written from scratch with portability in mind, the
process of porting it can be incredibly time- and labor-intensive, since
doing so may require rewriting the software from ground up. That means
unhappy users and lost income if the programmer can't expand the
availability of his/her software to a broader market. And it really gets
in the way of world domination.
"Write Great Code" shows programmers who typically write their programs to
run on only one operating system how to extend the market for their work
and speed the adoption of their programs by bringing them to
multiple platforms.
"Write Portable Code" is a concise volume that's filled with code and
practical, real-world applications for cross-platform development. Author
Brian Hook is a gaming industry veteran who has put his portable
programming skills to use at such leading companies as id software (Doom
and Quake), and 3Dfx Interactive. His experience porting computer games
(among the most demanding and complex programs to develop) informs his
discussion, and readers of "Write Great Code" can leverage Hook's
considerable expertise to facilitate their own cross-platform projects.
"Write Portable Code" shows intermediate- to advanced-level programmers
how to:
* Avoid common portability mistakes when starting out a new project
* Reformat existing, non-portable code so that it can be easily
transplanted to new platforms
* Greatly expand the target market for their products
* Find bugs masked by platform specific behaviors
* Retain flexibility by not becoming married to a specific development
environment or target platform
Bill Pollock, founder of No Starch Press, notes that "there seems to be
more new software floating around today than ever before. Some of it is
cross-platform; much of it is software that users on other platforms covet
but can't get because they use Windows and the software they want runs on
a Mac. We're publishing this book to actually show programmers how to
write their programs with multiple systems in mind."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Brian Hook is a professional software developer and
author who has worked primarily in the gaming and entertainment
industries. His experience developing cross-platform software at companies
such as id software, 3Dfx Interactive, and Pyrogon gives him a unique view
into the process of cross-platform software development.
Write Portable Code: An Introduction to Developing Software for
Multiple Platforms by Brian Hook.
July 2005, 272 pp., $39.95, ISBN 1-593270-56-9
Available at fine bookstores everywhere, from www.oreilly.com/nostarch, or
directly from No Starch Press (www.nostarch.com, orders@nostarch.com,
800.420.7240).
ABOUT NO STARCH PRESS: Founded in 1994, No Starch Press is one of the few
remaining independent computer book publishers. We publish the finest in
geek entertainment - unique books on technology, with a focus on Open
Source, security, hacking, programming, and alternative operating systems.
Our titles have personality, our authors are passionate, and our books
tackle topics that people care about. See www.nostarch.com for more. (And
by the way, most No Starch Press books use RepKover, a lay-flat binding
that won't snap shut. Hungry geeks love it.)
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