Many people are responsible for the writing of this book. The team at Packt is owed many thanks for their diligent editing and guidance, not to mention their patience as my work evolved…slowly. Several dear colleagues and friends contributed ideas, feedback, and support. Heartfelt thanks go out to Kevin Faaborg, Michael Nutt, and Ernie Yu, whose insights regarding technology, software, society, and of course Node.js were invaluable in guiding me through the development of this book, and of my work in general. The reinforcing encouragement of Dre Labre, Stuart McDonald, David Furfero, John Politowski, Andy Ross, Alex Gallafent, Paul Griffin, Diana Barnes-Brown, and the others who listened politely while I thought out loud will remain with me as fond memories of this long process. I thank Joseph Werle for his energy and commitment, which was of great help as I grappled with some of the more obscure nuances of the Node.js platform.
In particular I would like to thank Alexander Kolundzija, whose early advocacy began this process, and who is, as T.S. Eliot once said of Ezra Pound, "il miglior fabbro".
The writing of this book kept me away from my family and friends for many days and nights, so I thank them all for putting up with my absences. Most importantly, to my darling wife Elizabeth, who faithfully supported me throughout, I send my love.