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 animals on the cover of NetBeans: The Definitive Guide are European tree frogs (Hyla arboria). These tiny amphibians inhabit verdant European forests. Like most tree frogs, they have suction pads on the end of each toe that allow them to cling to plants, but European tree frogs can be distinguished from other species by a whitebordered black line that runs from their nostrils to their hind legs. They are generally green in color, though their shade often changes to match their surroundings and help them hide from predators. Less than two inches long, tree frogs are an attractive snack for snakes, lizards, birds, and large fish. Because they are coldblooded, tree frogs often stay in the sun, snapping up flies and other tiny insects with their long sticky tongues.

The most distinctive feature in the males is a well-developed vocal sac; when calling this sac can expand to be larger than the frog's head. The male's sac is creased and usually darker than the rest of his body, while the female's is smoother, smaller, and lighter in color. European tree frogs usually spawn in ponds during spring or early summer. At dusk, males claim an area from which to call females, who arrive later in the evening and choose a mate if they are ready to spawn. The female lays up to 1,000 eggs, which sink to the bottom of the pond. Tadpoles hatch in 12-14 days, and develop their hind legs a month later. Once the tadpoles become frogs, they will leave the water until they are old enough to spawn. An individual female will spawn only once a season, but males do so throughout the summer. These frogs are notoriously difficult to breed in captivity, but are often kept as pets because of their expressive features, distinctive coloring, and ability to stick to the sides of glass terrariums. Phil Dangler was the production editor for NetBeans: The Definitive Guide. Argosy provided production services and wrote the index. Emily Quill and Jane Ellin provided quality control.

Hanna Dyer designed the cover of this book, based on a series design by Edie Freedman. The cover image is a 19th-century engraving from Animal Creation, Volume 5. Emma Colby produced the cover layout with QuarkXPress 4.1 using Adobe's ITC Garamond font.

David Futato designed the interior layout. This book was converted from XML to FrameMaker 5.5.6 with a format conversion tool created by Erik Ray, Jason McIntosh, Neil Walls, and Mike Sierra that uses Perl and XML technologies. 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 Philip Dangler.