Another joy of linux

Or: The same situation came up in Windows today at work (from the same cause) and failed miserably

I have a headless Debian PPC install running as an HTTP/IMAP/SMTP/SSH server here at home, with AIDE keeping an eye on everything. It checks against a database held on a network drive only root can access (not ideal, I know, but I haven't the time to make a CD burn/verify/mount schedule that works efficiently enough). Earlier today, it seems, all of Austin underwent a power surge, which knocked the entire office offline, along with the home office. The server, router, and modem all run through a UPC, but the network drive didn't make the cut. At work, the Windows machine failed to recognize network drives (and froze for minutes at a time on each attempt to access them) until I unmounted them (already unmounted due to said power failure), and then re-mounted them completely fresh. At the home office, I simply had to push the power button on the network storage server and linux automatically recognized that the network drive had made itself available again.

Incorporation of ideas

So far, I've talked with a few people about the book:

• Jason Ellis (co-worker and PHP hacker - together, we replaced Smarty in a month, improving upon it as we did so)
• Robert Richards (author of PHP XML libraries)
• Chris Shiflett (PHP security guru and all around earnest, nice guy)
• Terry Chay (Ajax hacker and master of profanity)

This Friday, I will have the opportunity to talk with Andi Gutmans (PHP developer, Zend co-founder and utterer of complete gems) about Ajax development with PHP, which should prove rather interesting.

All of this means that I have as varied an opinion and point-of-view pool as I could wish for that I've explored. Each of these developers brings a completely different prespective on Ajax development, and on their ideal book on the subject. As daunting as that might sound, they actually complement, rather than contradict, each other. Just as each of them brings their own view on what should go into the book, they each bring their own view on what would make the book interesting and worth the read, ranging from material to organization to presentation.

Of course, I still have the challenge of actually completing the book. But I, at least, have the challenge of narrowing my focus down to a single book rather than struggling to come up with enough about which to write.

Edit: post title got lost before I posted this...simply adding it back into the entry.