I remember that BoWen View Publishing Company recently published a book titled "The Beauty of Programming", which was quite popular. But when I wrote the preface for "The Open Source Technology Selection Manual", the first word that came to my mind was "the beauty of regret". A few days ago, Lisa (the editor-in-charge of this book) told me that the manuscript had finally been sent for printing. At that moment, I could sense that on the other end of the computer, she must have also sighed in relief, although there might still be some uneasiness. Then we talked about some regrets in the book, such as possible incorrect punctuation marks in certain places, some sentences may not be smooth enough, etc. This feeling, I used to have often during my previous magazine work. I felt very painstaking and believed it to be perfect, but after printing, I would always find various bugs. For similar issues, we can avoid them infinitely small, but to completely eliminate them may contradict the "truth" that "nothing is absolute." So I jokingly told Lisa - regrets can sometimes be beautiful too, and believe we will do better next time.
This might have a bit of the meaning of self-excusing, but looking back at the entire process from planning to writing to finalizing this book, this feeling has gradually turned into "peacefulness." Remembering at the beginning of the planning stage, Teacher Zhou Jun met with me several times, then pulled Meng Yan and Fang Zhou into the discussions. First, we summarized the experiences and lessons learned from the predecessor of this book, "Open Source Grand Camp," then listed the aspects worth continuing and those to avoid, targeting specific improvements for the second round of iteration. Then we gathered all the authors who might participate in the writing of this book at Wansheng Bookstore in Lantianying, Wudaokou, to start brainstorming. Kai Feng, Li Jian, Yu Bao, and others first wrote sample chapters based on the discussed structure of the book, then everyone attacked and improved these samples, eventually summarizing a relatively feasible framework structure, which is now the main skeleton of this book. Just the few gatherings at Wansheng Bookstore alone, I think, have left many participants with fond memories. Moreover, you should know that twice, the friends from BoWen even specially traveled from Wuhan to Beijing to participate... I still remember that at the time, Fang Zhou bought several Japanese technical books to make the layout of this book more perfect, then the two of us carefully studied them at Carving Time near Lido Hotel, talking in great detail and enjoying our conversation immensely. Due to various reasons, these layouts may not have been ultimately adopted, but isn't this "regret" also a very beautiful memory?
If I were to list all the memorable events over the past six months, I probably wouldn't be able to finish narrating them even if I lay on a rocking chair for several nights, including the patient urging from the editor Lisa, each author's pursuit of perfection for their own works, targeted promotion of the book, various misunderstandings during the later production process, the design of the cover, one of the authors Yuan Feng sending an email a few days ago apologizing because his father's passing left him without enough energy to write the manuscript to its best potential, etc. Particularly noteworthy is that in the face of this disaster in the Wenchuan earthquake, all our authors showed sincere concern and love, unanimously agreeing to donate all their royalties to the disaster area, and each person in the book also sent a blessing on the front page, expressing condolences to the people in the disaster area. From all these "trivial matters," I believe every participant will gain their own unique feelings.
From the beginning, the positioning of the "Open Source Technology Selection Manual" was aimed at project managers, technical managers, senior software engineers, including CTOs, etc. We gathered experts from each field, collected their experience and wisdom together, striving to provide the most valuable reference to these technology selection decision-makers in as little space as possible. This book was completed through collaboration among multiple people, and during the writing process, there may have been various deviations. If readers notice and discover any, we welcome your generous guidance. Because if there is a next time, based on feedback, this book will definitely be updated and become more perfect. I think it is the responsibility of every author and reader to let future readers see a more perfect work. If this counts as a "responsibility."
Behind every work, even imperfect ones, lie the efforts of countless people, and the "Open Source Technology Selection Manual" is no different. You don't know how hard it is to make a book until you try it yourself. This experience has truly made me feel the hardships of bookmakers, and I take this opportunity to express my respect to all the "unfortunate souls" in the publishing industry!
Author: Huo Taiwen
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Relevant links for the "Open Source Technology Selection Manual":
CSDN President Jiang Tao's foreword: Open Source in China - Opportunities and Challenges
General planner Huo Taiwen's writing reflections: The Beauty of Regret in "Open Source Technology Selection Manual"
One of the authors Ke Zicong's writing reflections: The Philosophy of Open Source, the Power of Community
One of the authors Ge Yang's writing reflections: Recommendation for the Open Source Technology Selection Manual
One of the authors Zhang Kaifeng's writing reflections: Notes on Writing the "Open Source Technology Selection Manual"
One of the authors Liu Changjiong's writing reflections: Welcome to Pay Attention to the "Open Source Technology Selection Manual"
One of the authors Yang Yong's writing reflections: The Yellow Pages of Open Source Selection