Daniel Schneller's Blog

This is part five of an ongoing series about my experiences while writing the MySQL Admin Cookbook for Packt Publishing. All previous parts can be found under the mysql-admin-cookbook label. After the initial discussions about the book’s outline which I described in part 2 of this series were underway, talks about the actual writing contract started. Naturally, neither Udo nor I had any experience with publishing companies and the contracts between them and their authors. Add to that the fact that we are both from Germany and had had little to no experience with English legal stuff of any kind - apart from the usual 5000 pages EULAs you just “agree to” by clicking the “go away” button as quickly as possible - and you will probably understand that we were a little nervous about what we should expect.

As a former long time Windows user I have quite successfully (and since Steam has arrived completely) transitioned to the Mac platform. It took some time, but over the past two and a half years I have found replacements and substitutes for most programs I used regularly on Windows for everyday tasks and must say I don’t look back. Ok, there are some things I installed to make the base system a little more comfortable, e. g. by installing Better Touch Tool or iStat Menus which allow for better leveraging of available hardware features. But other than that - I haven’t made up my mind about TextExpander yet - there is little left to be desired. Except : File and window management… Say what you will about Windows, but one are where it still runs circles around stock Snow Leopard is window and file management. Aero Peek - docking Windows to the screen edges and having them become exactly half the screen size - is a welcome addition to BTT , and Exposé is also usable. But still, the W