Google-driven Web Dev Book Previews

Since my New Year's resolutions to write more and finish my book, I can safely say I've done a terrible job at each. If I'm going to finish this book — which I *really* want to do — I'm going to have to just force myself to make time for it. Time is hard to come by these days, what with all I've got going on at WPNI, and I'm generally not one to seek out more pressure for myself. So... I'm calling on you dear reader and friend to help me see this task through.

I've been impressed with the way the Django book has been shaping up online, and so, I thought I'd take a cue from Adrian and Jacob. As much as I liked the open nature of the process for their book, I always thought posting a public release schedule was a nice way to put a bit of pressure on themselves to finish it. (Whether this was intended or not, I don't know, but it seems to me a natural side effect of the public posting.) I'm going to follow suit here.

My book is not released under an open source license like the Django book, but I had previously received permission from my editor, Mark Taub, to publish small samples of the book as I worked on it. I'll be publishing here, then, a sample from each chapter with some comments from me on related ideas — the writing process, choices in material, significance of the topics, etc. I also won't be putting the preview samples up in the same chapter order of the book. I'll start with what I have finished, and then work around my other material in an order that allows me time to finish the longer or more complicated chapters in a timely manner.

The schedule will be as follows:

• Monday, February 5
  • Chapter 1 — Accessible and Useful Design
• Monday, February 12
  • Chapter 2 — Gmail
• Friday, February 16
  • Chapter 3 — Reader and GData
• Monday, February 19
  • Chapter 4 — Google Maps
• Wednesday, February 21
  • Chapter 9 — Open Source Google
• Wednesday, February 28
  • Chapter Chapter 8 — Webmaster Tools
• Monday, March 5
  • Chapter 5 — Office and Productivity Sites
• Wednesday, March 14
  • Chapter 6 — Personalized Google
• Friday, March 23
  • Chapter 7 — Server-side Development
• Friday, March 30
  • Chapter 10 — A Complete Google-driven App

In return for all this free, previewy goodness, all I ask in return is that you all call me out in great public shame and humiliation if I miss a deadline. Call me out in the comments here (or comments for other book related posts.) Call me out in your blogs. And any comments you have on the book, how to make it better, and what you like or don't like would be appreciated to. :-)

Here's to a New Year and finishing this book together! Cheers.

Posted by deryck on February 4, 2007

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