Introduction to Tornado

Acknowledgements

We’d like to thank our editor Andy Oram, for all his guidance and insight as we wrote and edited this book, and the O’Reilly community at large for being so helpful and supportive as we went. What started as a short submission to OSCon ultimately led to a host of great things, not least of which is the opportunity to write this book, and we’re thrilled to have had the chance to do it.

We’d like to give tremendous thanks to Sumana Harihareswara, who convinced us to start talking about Tornado in the first place, and to Socialbomb and Wurk Happy for giving us the support and opportunity to tinker, explore, and experiment, and eventually prescribe, advocate, and rely on this great software.

Further, we could not have made this book half of what it is without the amazing reviewers who shared their thoughts and opinions with us. The feedback from Jeff Gray, James Linder, Randy Jimenez, and Jonathan Bourland all helped mold our final product.

Witnessing the community that develops around open source projects is particularly inspiring. Seeing Tornado take root so quickly is a testament to Bret Taylor and Dave Recordon’s foresight and skill. We would like to thank them, and all the developers whose contributions to Tornado have given us something worth writing about.

Finally, this book could not have been created without the atmosphere, WiFi, and caffeine supply of the coffeehouses of Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Jersey City, to whom we are forever indebted.

Mike would like to express his eternal gratitude to his family and friends for their constant support and encouragement, especially to Jean and John Dory, who understood that a love of blinky lights and black coffee might turn into something useful after all. A big thanks is due to the NYU ITP alumni, faculty, and staff that serve as a constant feed of guidance, support, and ever-evolving inspiration. And most importantly, to his wife Rita, whose encouragement, advice, and understanding made this and everything else possible.

Adam is indebted to his students at NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program, for whom much of the material in early chapters of the book was originally prepared. Their enthusiasm for the material proved that a book like this one would have an audience, and their helpful feedback made the book better.

Brendan would have had neither the interest, the inclination, nor the aptitude to embark on this project without the 128K Mac that lived in the office on the third floor. The ember that leaped from that little beige box was tended along the way by his parents, Bruce and Catie, and by innumerable mentors and teachers along the way. Thanks especially to Tom Roney and Bob McGrail, who inspired a deep understanding of computation, software, and systems.