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 Programming Jakarta Struts, Second Edition is a Percheron draft horse. This breed originated in the province of Le Perche in northwestern France. Purebreds are predominantly blackor gray, and some have white markings on their heads and feet. They weigh an average of 2000 pounds and are usually 16 to 17 hands (64 to 68 inches) high. Percherons adapt well to many climates and are extremely versatile: their ruggedness and power makes them ideal for hauling heavy loads, their placid nature makes them easy to handle, and their natural grace and beauty complement the finest horse-drawn carriages. They can be ridden, and some have even been made into jumpers.

In 732 A.D., Arabian horses abandoned by the Moors after the Battle of Tours were bred with native Flemish stock, producing the first Percherons. When the Crusaders invaded ten centuries later, more Arabian blood was added to the breed. However, the number of Percherons dwindled during the French Revolution, as horse breeding was suppressed. After the revolution, the new French government revived the breed by establishing a stud program for army mounts, using two Arabian sires at Le Pin, Normandy. In 1832 a foal named Jean Le Blanc was born in Le Perche, and all current Percheron bloodlines trace directly back to this horse.

Le Perche has since exported purebred stockworldwide, and an official Breed Association registers Percherons to ensure that the line remains genetically pure. The breed was most popular after World War I, when farmers from both Britain and the United States became familiar with them while serving in the armed forces. A 1930 U.S. census showed that registered Percherons outnumbered other draft horses by a margin of three to one, but after World War II, the farm tractor nearly replaced the breed entirely. However, it was kept alive by many farmers, especially those in Amish communities. Today, Percherons continue to work on farms and often perform in competition at livestockfairs. They are also used used to provide recreational hay, sleigh, and carriage rides. Philip Dangler was the production editor and copyeditor for Programming Jakarta Struts, Second Edition. Mary Brady, Emily Quill, and Darren Kelly provided quality control. Julie Hawks 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. This book was converted to FrameMaker 5.5.6 by Andrew Savikas with a format conversion tool created by ErikRay, 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 bookwere 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.