I would like to take this opportunity to thank the folks at NVIDIA who have been patient enough to answer my questions, review my work, and give constructive feedback. Mark Harris, Norbert Juffa, and Lars Nyland deserve especial thanks.

My reviewers generously took the time to examine the work before submission, and their comments were invaluable in improving the quality, the clarity, and the correctness of this work. I am especially indebted to Andre Brodtkorb, Scott Le Grand, Allan MacKinnon, Romelia Salomon-Ferrer, and Patrik Tennberg for their feedback.

My editor, the inimitable Peter Gordon, has been extraordinarily patient and supportive during the course of this surprisingly-difficult endeavor.

Peter's assistant, Kim Boedingheimer, set the standard for timeliness and professionalism in helping to complete the project. Her efforts at soliciting and coordinating review feedback and facilitating uploads to the Safari Web site are especially appreciated.

My wife Robin and my children Benjamin, Samuel and Camille have been patient and supportive while I brought this project across the finish line.

Sharp-eyed readers reported errata in the first printing that have been corrected in v2.0. Special thanks to Daniel Galvez, Louise Knight, and Peter Longhurst for their contributions.