13 December 2006

I thought it would be a good idea to give a quick update on the progress/status of the CSLA .NET version 2.1 ebook. Version 2.1 includes some substantial new features and changes as compared to version 2.0, and I am working on an ebook (about 150 pages) that I’ll be selling through my web site in the near future. This ebook covers those changes to the framework, both from the framework development perspective and from the perspective of someone who just wants to use the new or changed features.

My original intent was for the ebook to be done in November. Obviously that hasn’t happened, though I am very near completion of the book at this point - in the middle of December. There are many reasons for the delay, most notably some serious family health issues (which, unfortunately, are ongoing) and unexpected activities at work (I have a real job in addition to writing ebooks :) ). Those pushed things far enough into November that a number of other, planned, things impacted the schedule as well.

I really didn’t expect this project to be this big - I was thinking 75 pages, but it is more like 150. And self-publishing turns out to be more work than I’d thought. Fortunately, a colleague at Magenic is helping to do the technical review and my very talented wife is doing all the non-technical editing. Another Magenic colleague is kindly setting up the online store. And I found out from my tax guy that I need to get a sales tax ID from Minnesota because I have to actually collect sales tax on the ebook - much to my surprise.

Regardless, what this means is that I now expect the ebook to be available for purchase within the first two weeks of 2007. I’m wrapping up the VB version this week, doing technical revisions and final editing and creating the C# version (swapping in different code bits) over the next couple weeks. This should mean the project is done by the end of the year so I can put it online very early in 2007.