Acknowledgments

I would like to thank GemStone Systems for making this book possible not once but twice. I wrote the first edition when I worked for the company—then called Servio—and they provided me with all the time and resources I needed to make the book worthy of the wide readership it has subsequently enjoyed. Now, seven years later, they have been kind enough to turn the book over to me so that I can write this new edition. GemStone is a great company with a world-class product. Next time you're on the Web, point your browser to http://www.gemstone.com and get to know them.

I would also like to express my appreciation to the reviewers of the new edition. Because of their generous efforts, this book is truer to both its subject and its audience. My profound thanks to Charles Berezin of The Davis Group, Inc.; Jack Carter of Object Space; David Chappell of Chappell and Associates; Perry Cole of MCI; Brian Edwards of GemStone; Steve Forgey of Advex Design; Ian Gilmour of Technology Transfer; Richard Hubert of iO Software; Edgar Odenwalder of Inform Worldwide; Jack Ring of Innovation Management; Moira Seed of Gem Consulting; Steve Verba of Realty One; and, last in the alphabet but foremost in her contributions, Rebecca Wirfs-Brock of Parc Place-Digitalk.

A very heartfelt thanks goes to Michael Taylor, chief architect at Enterprise Engines. It is rare in our generation when a son follows in his father's footsteps; it is especially rewarding when he steps alongside to help blaze the trail. Mike not only has become a master Java programmer but also has developed an understanding of object technology that is deeper than my own in many places. His insights into the impact of message interfaces, in particular, have had a strong influence on my thinking and on this book.

Finally, a warm thanks to my editor, Carter Shanklin, for his efforts to make a second edition possible and for his help in having the second-generation book maintain the best qualities of the original. I have enjoyed working with the people at Addison-Wesley in both generations of this book.