Welcome to O'Reilly Network, a portal by and for the independent developer. I'm not completely comfortable calling O'Reilly Network a "portal," a term that Wired Style defines as "a welcome mat." We didn't call GNN a portal in 1993 but it was an important, early effort to understand and map the Whole Internet. As the chief architect of GNN, I saw it as a guidebook, a reference, a companion for the first wave of users coming to the Internet.
I could use the same terms to describe O'Reilly Network, the second portal from O'Reilly. We hope to provide a sourcebook, a chart, a reference tool for developers who ride the first wave of innovation using technologies such as Linux, Apache, Perl, PHP, mySQL and Java. O'Reilly Network seeks to extend the O'Reilly editorial voice -- known so well in our books -- and take advantage of the exciting new opportunities to publish online. It's also a crossroads, a forum, where developers can meet and learn from each other. Some of them are idealists who are inspired by the ideas of Free and Open Source software. Others are pragmatists who simply choose the best technology for the job.
The O'Reilly Network starts with our hub site, located at www.oreillynet.com. You will find original feature articles, conversations with developers, tutorials and more on the O'Reilly Network hub. This week, you can learn about Mindstorms and meet Paul Everitt, one of the developers behind Zope. We've also created developer centers (DevCenters) organized by technology, much like our books. Our goal is to provide a consistent context in which you can find news and reference information for important technologies. (We've only a few DevCenters at launch but more will be coming soon.) Our DevCenters share a number of common features:
O'Reilly Network is also putting together a set of affiliate sites, including mySQL.com, ApacheWeek.com, XML.com, Servlets.com, and a special Linux affiliate, co-located on Linux.com, oreilly.linux.com. Our hub will serve as a guide to the new information that appears across the network.
I'd like to invite you to check out O'Reilly Network and share your feedback with me. Please keep in mind that we're just getting started. There's more to come. (If you are interested in becoming a contributor to O'Reilly Network, please let me know. We are looking for knowledgeable people to host our discussion forums and serve as bureau chiefs for different technologies.)
O'Reilly Network is all about tracking change. Change is what makes our lives interesting these days, suggesting so many possibilities. But change is also what makes us frustrated and it makes us work harder. There's always more to learn. That's what exciting about being at the leading edge.
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