This book requires a UNIX computer with a relatively recent Go version installed, which includes any machine running Mac OS X, macOS, or Linux. Most of the code presented will also run on Microsoft Windows machines.

To get the most out of this book, you should try to apply the knowledge of each chapter in your own programs as soon as possible and see what works and what does not! As I told you before, try to solve the exercises found at the end of each chapter or create your own programming problems.

You can download the example code files for this book from your account at www.packt.com. If you purchased this book elsewhere, you can visit www.packt.com/support and register to have the files emailed directly to you.

You can download the code files by following these steps:

1. Log in or register at www.packt.com.
2. Select the SUPPORT tab.
3. Click on Code Downloads & Errata.
4. Enter the name of the book in the Search box and follow the onscreen instructions.

Once the file is downloaded, please make sure that you unzip or extract the folder using the latest version of:

• WinRAR/7-Zip for Windows
• Zipeg/iZip/UnRarX for Mac
• 7-Zip/PeaZip for Linux

The code bundle for the book is also hosted on GitHub at https://github.com/PacktPublishing/Mastering-Go-Second-Edition. In case there's an update to the code, it will be updated on the existing GitHub repository.

We also have other code bundles from our rich catalog of books and videos available at https://github.com/PacktPublishing/. Check them out!

We also provide a PDF file that has color images of the screenshots/diagrams used in this book. You can download it here: https://static.packt-cdn.com/downloads/9781838559335.pdf.

There are a number of text conventions used throughout this book.

CodeInText: Indicates code words in text, database table names, folder names, filenames, file extensions, pathnames, dummy URLs, user input, and Twitter handles. Here is an example: "The first way is similar to using the man(1) command, but for Go functions and packages."

A block of code is set as follows:

package main
import (
    "fmt"
)
func main() {
    fmt.Println("This is a sample Go program!")
}

When we wish to draw your attention to a particular part of a code block, the relevant lines or items are set in bold:

import (
"fmt"
)
func main() {
    fmt.Println("This is a sample Go program!")
}

Any command-line input or output is written as follows:

$ date
Sat Oct 21 20:09:20 EEST 2017
$ go version
go version go1.12.7 darwin/amd64

Bold: Indicates a new term, an important word, or words that you see on screen. For example, words in menus or dialog boxes appear in the text like this. Here is an example: "Select System info from the Administration panel."