Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects. The animal on the cover of Java and SOAP is a red firefish, Pterois volitans. These fish are found throughout the warm, tropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans at depths up to 100 feet. They tend to sit nearly motionless on the ocean floor, often under ledges, waiting for potential prey-mainly small fish and crustaceans-to wander into range.

Red firefish are members of the family Scorpaenidae-scorpionfishes-named for the poisonous spines on their dorsal fins. Confident in their ability to defend themselves, firefish often do not back off even when a human approaches; instead, they point their venomous spines towards aggressors. Their confidence is well-placed: the sting of their spines, though not usually fatal to humans, is extremely painful.

In addition to their native ocean habitat, red firefish can also be found living in many home tropical aquariums. They can grow up to 16 inches in length and so require a fairly large tank. But despite their fearsome spines and predatory nature, they're actually very peaceful and sociable, and they get along well with other fish-except the ones small enough to be eaten. Emily Quill was the production editor and copyeditor for Java and SOAP. Sarah Sherman and Matt Hutchinson provided quality control. Philip Dangler, David Chu, and Julie Flanagan provided production assistance. Ellen Troutman-Zaig wrote the index.

Emma Colby designed the cover of this book, based on a series design by Edie Freedman. The cover image is a 19th-century engraving from the Dover Pictorial Archive. Emma Colby produced the cover layout with QuarkXPress 4.1 using Adobe's ITC Garamond font.

Melanie Wang designed the interior layout, based on a series design by David Futato. Neil Walls converted the files from Microsoft Word to FrameMaker 5.5.6 using tools created by Mike Sierra. The text font is Linotype Birka; the heading font is Adobe Myriad Condensed; and the code font is LucasFont's TheSans Mono Condensed. The illustrations that appear in the book were produced by Robert Romano and Jessamyn Read using Macromedia FreeHand 9 and Adobe Photoshop 6. The tip and warning icons were drawn by Christopher Bing. This colophon was written by Leanne Soylemez.