Alessandro's Introduction
I've always enjoyed computers because they can talk
to external hardware. So, after soldering my devices for the Apple II
and the ZX Spectrum, backed with the Unix and free software expertise
the university gave me, I could escape the DOS trap by installing
GNU/Linux on a fresh new 386 and by turning on the soldering iron
once again.
Back then, the community was a small one, and there
wasn't much documentation about writing drivers
around, so I started writing for Linux Journal.
That's how things started: when I later discovered I
didn't like writing papers, I left the univeristy
and found myself with an O'Reilly contract in my
hands.
That was in 1996. Ages ago.
The computing world is different now: free software looks like a
viable solution, both technically and politically, but
there's a lot of work to do in both realms. I hope
this book furthers two aims: spreading technical knowledge and
raising awareness about the need to spread knowledge.
That's why, after the first edition proved
interesting to the public, the two authors of the second edition
switched to a free license, supported by our editor and our
publisher. I'm betting this is the right approach to
information, and it's great to team up with other
people sharing this vision.
I'm excited by what I witness in the embedded arena,
and I hope this text helps by doing more; but ideas are moving fast
these days, and it's already time to plan for the
fourth edition, and look for a fourth author to help.
|