hgbook
annotate en/ch00-preface.xml @ 1114:527b86d55d4a
inotify: update installation information
inotify is shipped in Mercurial since 1.0, which greatly simplifies the installation process
inotify is shipped in Mercurial since 1.0, which greatly simplifies the installation process
author | Nicolas Dumazet <nicdumz.commits@gmail.com> |
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date | Sun Dec 13 16:35:56 2009 +0900 (2009-12-13) |
parents | acf9dc5f088d |
children |
rev | line source |
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bos@559 | 1 <!-- vim: set filetype=docbkxml shiftwidth=2 autoindent expandtab tw=77 : --> |
bos@26 | 2 |
bos@559 | 3 <preface id="chap:preface"> |
bos@587 | 4 <?dbhtml filename="preface.html"?> |
bos@559 | 5 <title>Preface</title> |
bos@26 | 6 |
bos@583 | 7 <sect1> |
bos@705 | 8 <title>Technical storytelling</title> |
bos@705 | 9 |
bos@705 | 10 <para id="x_72e">A few years ago, when I wanted to explain why I believed |
bos@705 | 11 that distributed revision control is important, the field was |
bos@705 | 12 then so new that there was almost no published literature to |
bos@705 | 13 refer people to.</para> |
bos@705 | 14 |
bos@705 | 15 <para id="x_72f">Although at that time I spent some time working on the |
bos@705 | 16 internals of Mercurial itself, I switched to writing this book |
bos@705 | 17 because that seemed like the most effective way to help the |
bos@705 | 18 software to reach a wide audience, along with the idea that |
bos@705 | 19 revision control ought to be distributed in nature. I publish |
bos@705 | 20 the book online under a liberal license for the same |
bos@705 | 21 reason: to get the word out.</para> |
bos@705 | 22 |
bos@705 | 23 <para id="x_730">There's a familiar rhythm to a good software book that |
bos@705 | 24 closely resembles telling a story: What is this thing? Why does |
bos@705 | 25 it matter? How will it help me? How do I use it? In this |
bos@705 | 26 book, I try to answer those questions for distributed revision |
bos@705 | 27 control in general, and for Mercurial in particular.</para> |
bos@705 | 28 </sect1> |
bos@705 | 29 |
bos@705 | 30 <sect1> |
bos@705 | 31 <title>Thank you for supporting Mercurial</title> |
bos@705 | 32 |
bos@705 | 33 <para id="x_731">By purchasing a copy of this book, you are supporting the |
bos@705 | 34 continued development and freedom of Mercurial in particular, |
bos@705 | 35 and of open source and free software in general. O'Reilly Media |
bos@705 | 36 and I are donating my royalties on the sales of this book to the |
bos@705 | 37 Software Freedom Conservancy (<ulink |
bos@705 | 38 url="http://www.softwarefreedom.org/">http://www.softwarefreedom.org/</ulink>) |
bos@705 | 39 which provides clerical and legal support to Mercurial and a |
bos@705 | 40 number of other prominent and worthy open source software |
bos@705 | 41 projects.</para> |
bos@705 | 42 </sect1> |
bos@705 | 43 |
bos@705 | 44 <sect1> |
bos@705 | 45 <title>Acknowledgments</title> |
bos@705 | 46 |
bos@705 | 47 <para id="x_732">This book would not exist were it not for the efforts of |
bos@705 | 48 Matt Mackall, the author and project lead of Mercurial. He is |
bos@705 | 49 ably assisted by hundreds of volunteer contributors across the |
bos@705 | 50 world.</para> |
bos@705 | 51 |
bos@705 | 52 <para id="x_733">My children, Cian and Ruairi, always stood ready to help me |
bos@705 | 53 to unwind with wonderful, madcap little-boy games. I'd also |
bos@705 | 54 like to thank my ex-wife, Shannon, for her support.</para> |
bos@705 | 55 |
bos@705 | 56 <para id="x_734">My colleagues and friends provided help and support in |
bos@705 | 57 innumerable ways. This list of people is necessarily very |
bos@705 | 58 incomplete: Stephen Hahn, Karyn Ritter, Bonnie Corwin, James |
bos@705 | 59 Vasile, Matt Norwood, Eben Moglen, Bradley Kuhn, Robert Walsh, |
bos@705 | 60 Jeremy Fitzhardinge, Rachel Chalmers.</para> |
bos@705 | 61 |
bos@705 | 62 <para id="x_735">I developed this book in the open, posting drafts of |
bos@705 | 63 chapters to the book web site as I completed them. Readers then |
bos@705 | 64 submitted feedback using a web application that I developed. By |
bos@705 | 65 the time I finished writing the book, more than 100 people had |
bos@705 | 66 submitted comments, an amazing number considering that the |
bos@705 | 67 comment system was live for only about two months towards the |
bos@705 | 68 end of the writing process.</para> |
bos@705 | 69 |
bos@705 | 70 <para id="x_736">I would particularly like to recognize the following people, |
bos@705 | 71 who between them contributed over a third of the total number of |
bos@705 | 72 comments. I would like to thank them for their care and effort |
bos@705 | 73 in providing so much detailed feedback.</para> |
bos@705 | 74 |
bos@705 | 75 <para id="x_737">Martin Geisler, Damien Cassou, Alexey Bakhirkin, Till Plewe, |
bos@705 | 76 Dan Himes, Paul Sargent, Gokberk Hamurcu, Matthijs van der |
bos@705 | 77 Vleuten, Michael Chermside, John Mulligan, Jordi Fita, Jon |
bos@705 | 78 Parise.</para> |
bos@705 | 79 |
bos@705 | 80 <para id="x_738">I also want to acknowledge the help of the many people who |
bos@705 | 81 caught errors and provided helpful suggestions throughout the |
bos@705 | 82 book.</para> |
bos@705 | 83 |
bos@705 | 84 <para id="x_739">Jeremy W. Sherman, Brian Mearns, Vincent Furia, Iwan |
bos@705 | 85 Luijks, Billy Edwards, Andreas Sliwka, Paweł Sołyga, Eric |
bos@705 | 86 Hanchrow, Steve Nicolai, Michał Masłowski, Kevin Fitch, Johan |
bos@705 | 87 Holmberg, Hal Wine, Volker Simonis, Thomas P Jakobsen, Ted |
bos@705 | 88 Stresen-Reuter, Stephen Rasku, Raphael Das Gupta, Ned |
bos@705 | 89 Batchelder, Lou Keeble, Li Linxiao, Kao Cardoso Félix, Joseph |
bos@705 | 90 Wecker, Jon Prescot, Jon Maken, John Yeary, Jason Harris, |
bos@705 | 91 Geoffrey Zheng, Fredrik Jonson, Ed Davies, David Zumbrunnen, |
bos@705 | 92 David Mercer, David Cabana, Ben Karel, Alan Franzoni, Yousry |
bos@705 | 93 Abdallah, Whitney Young, Vinay Sajip, Tom Towle, Tim Ottinger, |
bos@705 | 94 Thomas Schraitle, Tero Saarni, Ted Mielczarek, Svetoslav |
bos@705 | 95 Agafonkin, Shaun Rowland, Rocco Rutte, Polo-Francois Poli, |
bos@705 | 96 Philip Jenvey, Petr Tesałék, Peter R. Annema, Paul Bonser, |
bos@705 | 97 Olivier Scherler, Olivier Fournier, Nick Parker, Nick Fabry, |
bos@705 | 98 Nicholas Guarracino, Mike Driscoll, Mike Coleman, Mietek Bák, |
bos@705 | 99 Michael Maloney, László Nagy, Kent Johnson, Julio Nobrega, Jord |
bos@705 | 100 Fita, Jonathan March, Jonas Nockert, Jim Tittsler, Jeduan |
bos@705 | 101 Cornejo Legorreta, Jan Larres, James Murphy, Henri Wiechers, |
bos@705 | 102 Hagen Möbius, Gábor Farkas, Fabien Engels, Evert Rol, Evan |
bos@705 | 103 Willms, Eduardo Felipe Castegnaro, Dennis Decker Jensen, Deniz |
bos@705 | 104 Dogan, David Smith, Daed Lee, Christine Slotty, Charles Merriam, |
bos@705 | 105 Guillaume Catto, Brian Dorsey, Bob Nystrom, Benoit Boissinot, |
bos@705 | 106 Avi Rosenschein, Andrew Watts, Andrew Donkin, Alexey Rodriguez, |
bos@705 | 107 Ahmed Chaudhary.</para> |
bos@705 | 108 </sect1> |
bos@705 | 109 |
bos@705 | 110 <sect1> |
bos@704 | 111 <title>Conventions Used in This Book</title> |
bos@583 | 112 |
bos@705 | 113 <para id="x_73a">The following typographical conventions are used in this |
bos@704 | 114 book:</para> |
bos@583 | 115 |
bos@704 | 116 <variablelist> |
bos@704 | 117 <varlistentry> |
bos@704 | 118 <term>Italic</term> |
bos@583 | 119 |
bos@704 | 120 <listitem> |
bos@705 | 121 <para id="x_73b">Indicates new terms, URLs, email addresses, filenames, |
bos@704 | 122 and file extensions.</para> |
bos@704 | 123 </listitem> |
bos@704 | 124 </varlistentry> |
bos@583 | 125 |
bos@704 | 126 <varlistentry> |
bos@704 | 127 <term><literal>Constant width</literal></term> |
bos@583 | 128 |
bos@704 | 129 <listitem> |
bos@705 | 130 <para id="x_73c">Used for program listings, as well as within |
bos@704 | 131 paragraphs to refer to program elements such as variable |
bos@704 | 132 or function names, databases, data types, environment |
bos@704 | 133 variables, statements, and keywords.</para> |
bos@704 | 134 </listitem> |
bos@704 | 135 </varlistentry> |
bos@583 | 136 |
bos@704 | 137 <varlistentry> |
bos@704 | 138 <term><userinput>Constant width bold</userinput></term> |
bos@583 | 139 |
bos@704 | 140 <listitem> |
bos@705 | 141 <para id="x_73d">Shows commands or other text that should be typed |
bos@704 | 142 literally by the user.</para> |
bos@704 | 143 </listitem> |
bos@704 | 144 </varlistentry> |
bos@583 | 145 |
bos@704 | 146 <varlistentry> |
bos@704 | 147 <term><replaceable>Constant width italic</replaceable></term> |
bos@583 | 148 |
bos@704 | 149 <listitem> |
bos@705 | 150 <para id="x_73e">Shows text that should be replaced with user-supplied |
bos@704 | 151 values or by values determined by context.</para> |
bos@704 | 152 </listitem> |
bos@704 | 153 </varlistentry> |
bos@704 | 154 </variablelist> |
bos@583 | 155 |
bos@704 | 156 <tip> |
bos@705 | 157 <para id="x_73f">This icon signifies a tip, suggestion, or general |
bos@704 | 158 note.</para> |
bos@704 | 159 </tip> |
bos@583 | 160 |
bos@704 | 161 <caution> |
bos@705 | 162 <para id="x_740">This icon indicates a warning or caution.</para> |
bos@704 | 163 </caution> |
bos@583 | 164 </sect1> |
bos@26 | 165 |
bos@559 | 166 <sect1> |
bos@704 | 167 <title>Using Code Examples</title> |
bos@26 | 168 |
bos@705 | 169 <para id="x_741">This book is here to help you get your job done. In general, |
bos@704 | 170 you may use the code in this book in your programs and |
bos@704 | 171 documentation. You do not need to contact us for permission |
bos@704 | 172 unless you’re reproducing a significant portion of the code. For |
bos@704 | 173 example, writing a program that uses several chunks of code from |
bos@704 | 174 this book does not require permission. Selling or distributing a |
bos@704 | 175 CD-ROM of examples from O’Reilly books does require permission. |
bos@704 | 176 Answering a question by citing this book and quoting example |
bos@704 | 177 code does not require permission. Incorporating a significant |
bos@704 | 178 amount of example code from this book into your product’s |
bos@704 | 179 documentation does require permission.</para> |
bos@200 | 180 |
bos@705 | 181 <para id="x_742">We appreciate, but do not require, attribution. An |
bos@704 | 182 attribution usually includes the title, author, publisher, and |
bos@704 | 183 ISBN. For example: “<emphasis>Book Title</emphasis> by Some |
bos@704 | 184 Author. Copyright 2008 O’Reilly Media, Inc., |
bos@704 | 185 978-0-596-xxxx-x.”</para> |
bos@200 | 186 |
bos@705 | 187 <para id="x_743">If you feel your use of code examples falls outside fair use |
bos@704 | 188 or the permission given above, feel free to contact us at |
bos@704 | 189 <email>permissions@oreilly.com</email>.</para> |
bos@559 | 190 </sect1> |
bos@583 | 191 |
bos@583 | 192 <sect1> |
bos@704 | 193 <title>Safari® Books Online</title> |
bos@583 | 194 |
bos@704 | 195 <note role="safarienabled"> |
bos@705 | 196 <para id="x_744">When you see a Safari® Books Online icon on the cover of |
bos@704 | 197 your favorite technology book, that means the book is |
bos@704 | 198 available online through the O’Reilly Network Safari |
bos@704 | 199 Bookshelf.</para> |
bos@704 | 200 </note> |
bos@583 | 201 |
bos@705 | 202 <para id="x_745">Safari offers a solution that’s better than e-books. It’s a |
bos@704 | 203 virtual library that lets you easily search thousands of top |
bos@704 | 204 tech books, cut and paste code samples, download chapters, and |
bos@704 | 205 find quick answers when you need the most accurate, current |
bos@704 | 206 information. Try it for free at <ulink role="orm:hideurl:ital" |
bos@704 | 207 url="http://my.safaribooksonline.com/?portal=oreilly">http://my.safaribooksonline.com</ulink>.</para> |
bos@583 | 208 </sect1> |
bos@583 | 209 |
bos@583 | 210 <sect1> |
bos@704 | 211 <title>How to Contact Us</title> |
bos@583 | 212 |
bos@705 | 213 <para id="x_746">Please address comments and questions concerning this book |
bos@704 | 214 to the publisher:</para> |
bos@583 | 215 |
bos@704 | 216 <simplelist type="vert"> |
bos@704 | 217 <member>O’Reilly Media, Inc.</member> |
bos@583 | 218 |
bos@704 | 219 <member>1005 Gravenstein Highway North</member> |
bos@583 | 220 |
bos@704 | 221 <member>Sebastopol, CA 95472</member> |
bos@583 | 222 |
bos@704 | 223 <member>800-998-9938 (in the United States or Canada)</member> |
bos@583 | 224 |
bos@704 | 225 <member>707-829-0515 (international or local)</member> |
bos@583 | 226 |
bos@704 | 227 <member>707 829-0104 (fax)</member> |
bos@704 | 228 </simplelist> |
bos@583 | 229 |
bos@705 | 230 <para id="x_747">We have a web page for this book, where we list errata, |
bos@704 | 231 examples, and any additional information. You can access this |
bos@704 | 232 page at:</para> |
bos@583 | 233 |
bos@704 | 234 <simplelist type="vert"> |
bos@704 | 235 <member><ulink url="http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/<catalog |
bos@704 | 236 page>"></ulink></member> |
bos@704 | 237 </simplelist> |
bos@583 | 238 |
bos@704 | 239 <remark>Don’t forget to update the <url> attribute, |
bos@704 | 240 too.</remark> |
bos@583 | 241 |
bos@705 | 242 <para id="x_748">To comment or ask technical questions about this book, send |
bos@704 | 243 email to:</para> |
bos@26 | 244 |
bos@704 | 245 <simplelist type="vert"> |
bos@704 | 246 <member><email>bookquestions@oreilly.com</email></member> |
bos@704 | 247 </simplelist> |
bos@26 | 248 |
bos@705 | 249 <para id="x_749">For more information about our books, conferences, Resource |
bos@704 | 250 Centers, and the O’Reilly Network, see our web site at:</para> |
bos@559 | 251 |
bos@704 | 252 <simplelist type="vert"> |
bos@704 | 253 <member><ulink url="http://www.oreilly.com"></ulink></member> |
bos@704 | 254 </simplelist> |
bos@559 | 255 </sect1> |
bos@559 | 256 </preface> |
bos@704 | 257 |
bos@559 | 258 <!-- |
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