Stewart finished off the last trailing chapter of the MythTV book a week or so ago, and I finished the last copy edit (the process where we learn US grammar) just now. That means we only need to have page layout done for a chapter or so and we're home. Hurrah!
It's been a while since I've commented on the MythTV book project, so it's worth a quick status update. We're basically into the home straight now -- we've decided what to cover in the book (which of course involves missing out on a few things which could be in there if we had infinite space and time), written the chapters (which are all now done), and are now working through technical review and copy edits. I'll keep you posted as we get closer to final production.
I was thinking about the delivery status of the MythTV book as I was going off to sleep last night, and it occurred to me that the book is pretty much done. It's a good feeling. Stewart needs to finish poking a chapter on cut lists and so forth, with should be minimal effort, then he needs to work on chapters on MythWeb and VoIP (the VoIP one is half done). I need to write an updated introduction (the contents of the book have deviated from plan, although that always happens) as well as a short conclusion chapter, and help Stewart write a chapter about running the latest and greatest version of the code (and how to interact with the development community). Then we're done for the writing. That description can be summarised as "Stewart and I appear to both be about one and a half chapters away from finishing authoring". We of course still need to get through technical review, editorial review, replying to things those reviewers need changed, copy editing, page layout, and standing on one leg. We're getting towards the end of the project though. When I think about it that way, I guess I read the…
So, I guess the cat is out of the bag then... Stewart and I are working on the finishing stages of a book on MythTV. Amazon now has it listed for pre-order. [btags:]
By far the most consistent criticism of The Definitive Guide to ImageMagick has been that the sample images need to be in color. I would have to agree with this point, which is why I am delighted that Apress took the time to go back around the production process and produce a version of the ebook with color images. It's cool that they were willing to put in the effort, and not only that, they're giving anyone who has purchased the ebook to date a free upgrade. Even better, now if you buy the printed book on Amazon, you get the color ebook for free! I have a limited number of color ebooks to give away, so if you're interested please leave a comment and explain why you'd like one.
I'm always a little hesitant when I see reviews of the book. It's irrational, but I guess it's a little bit like being worried that people are going to tell you that your kid isn't the smartest in the class, or is ugly. That's why I sat on the review from Linux Format May 2006 until today, and only read it just now. Wow. "This is probably the best Linux book you will buy all year". I guess it doesn't get clearer than that. All I can say is "thanks Linux Format". They commented on the lack of colour figures in the examples as well, and once again I should point out that there are colour versions available online and as a download. A colour revision of the PDF version of the book is also currently in the works.
Tim O'Reilly's examination of the state of the book market: comes in three parts. It makes some interesting points. Gary Cornell has started a response which is also worth a read.
My ImageMagick book is for sale at the MySQL user's conference trade show. There are only a few copies there, but it is nice to actually see it out there. I wonder if they'll sell any copies?
There are now off line versions of the color images available. There is a zip version and a tarball version.
The missing figures are now online. I've updated the original posts which contained those images, so that people aren't confused about the ordering of the chapters and which version is the most current. Let me know if you notice any other problems.