Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects. The animal on the cover of Microsoft Exchange Server in a Nutshell is a southern lesser bush baby (Galago moholi), so named for its baby-like cries. These chipmunk-sized, brownish-grey South African primates are characterized by foldable ears, elongation of the tarsus (or upper part of the feet), and pads of thick skin on fingers and toes; these pads help them climb trees, where they sleep in nests and hollows during the day. At night, adults forage for insects and acacia gum, then return to the small family groups; the males are very territorial and urinate to scent their territory.

Bush babies usually travel by climbing and swinging through the trees. On the ground, they sit upright and move by jumping around on their hind legs. Their habitat includes woodland, savannah, and scrub desert. They mate every 4-8 months, and after a gestation period of 120 days, females give birth to about two offspring, which mature around 10 months of age and live up to 16 years.

Like many species, the southern lesser bush babies' existence is thought to be threatened as a result of habitat loss. Jane Ellin was the production editor and proofreader for Microsoft Exchange Server in a Nutshell , Sheryl Avruch was the production manager, Sarah Jane Shangraw and Mary Anne Weeks Mayo provided quality control, and Betty Hugh, Maureen Dempsey, and Trisha Manoni provided production support. Mike Sierra provided FrameMaker technical support. Seth Maislin wrote the index.

Edie Freedman designed the cover of this book, using an original illustration by Lorrie LeJeune. The cover layout was produced with QuarkXPress 3.32 using the ITC Garamond font. Whenever possible, our books use RepKover(TM), a durable and flexible lay-flat binding. If the page count exceeds RepKover's limit, perfect binding is used.

The inside layout was designed by Nancy Priest and implemented in FrameMaker 5.5.6 by Mike Sierra. The text and heading fonts are ITC Garamond Light and Garamond Book. The illustrations that appear in the book were produced by Robert Romano and Rhon Porter using Macromedia FreeHand 8 and Adobe Photoshop 5. This colophon was written by Nancy Kotary.